Make a Wish
by Cherylann Rivers
Summary: When Callie Shaw inexplicably disappears, many questions arise--- and we are all left to wonder if Iola really died after all.
1. Chapter 1

_A/N: Thanks for reading! I just wanted to let you all know that "Fire and Ice", my latest work, is just that-- my latest. This story starts a series of stories that I wrote YEARS ago, and some parts I cringe at now today. In fact, I ALMOST didn't post this story, as the others are MUCH more involved and better written, but it just makes sense, I guess, to start from the beginning. After this story is "Classified Secrets," Where Troubles Melt," and "Capital Pursuits," all of which I am proud of. In this story, which is written very much in the Casefiles format, the Hardys are 18 and 17 respectively. Each story builds upon the last, but can be read in isolation. I tried to stay with the Casefiles format-- at the start, then, Joe and Callie argue a lot, their friends are more involved, they reference some past cases... all of which I later changed as my writing progressed. I will post 1-2 chapters a DAY for you all, since they're all shorter than I would write if I wrote today. I started writing just because I never liked how Iola sort of disappeared with no warning in Dead on Target. This story is how I would have written what would have happened to her..._

Make a Wish

Chapter 1

Joe Hardy couldn't help but to smile as he walked through the hallway of Bayport High School on this wonderful May afternoon. Baseball practice had just ended, and the smell of spring was in the air. The team had a winning record so far, and Joe was almost certain that he would be headed to the All-Star team this year. In addition to all of this, he was getting ready to take his girlfriend of the past several months, Vanessa Bender, to the Prom in just a few weeks. He was sure that with his keen blue eyes, wavy blonde hair, and athletic build, he would be named Prom King and Vanessa would be his Queen. Yes, life was falling into place very nicely.

Joe approached his locker and attempted to open it. He knew he had a big History test to study for. And, although he knew he probably wouldn't actually crack the book open, it was sort of a confidence booster to have it sitting on his desk. It made him FEEL scholarly, or so he liked to tell Vanessa. Frank, his older bother, was the genius in the family, but Joe didn't begrudge him anything. Frank actually LIKED school, which Joe couldn't exactly figure out, but hey- Frank was a good guy. It wasn't his fault that Joe's idea of a foreign language consisted mainly of "I'll have French fries with that" or that his biggest math problem was figuring out how to hide all of the girls' phone numbers that he had managed to accumulate over the years.

As Joe opened his locker, he was instantly hit in the head by about three text books that he had somehow managed to cram into his locker above all his sports equipment, CD's and pictures.

"OOOOWWWW!!" he scowled, but he turned around instantly when he heard Vanessa's laugh down the hallway.

"Well, Joe, " she smiled, "You should at least have learned something from this."

"Oh yeah?" Joe countered, at once embarrassed at his misadventure and pleased by Vanessa's attention, "What's that?"

"That when you promise to meet your girlfriend at 5:00 it does NOT mean 5:15. See how the gods punish you for your cruelty?"

Smiling, Joe teased, "Yeah, I've been bad. You may have to punish me."

Vanessa turned red, and quipped, "Sweetie, consider THIS your punishment. You are officially buying me dinner tonight. I have to go and meet Callie. I'll see you in the parking lot in like ten minutes." With that, she gave Joe a quick kiss good-bye and skipped through the hallway.

Joe had to laugh. He had always been a ladies man, and prided himself on harassing Frank about being practically married to his long-time girlfriend, Callie. But since he met Vanessa, the tall, thin, ash-blonde girl who had recently transferred to Bayport from the City, he really had begun to feel he could love again. She was so kind and spirited, exactly like…. A pang stung Joe's heart for an instant, as he tried to block out the memory that had haunted him for so long. Exactly like… Iola.

Well over a year ago, Joe had lost his first true love, Iola, to a car bomb intended for him. Although he had come to terms with her death, he was still haunted by his guilt. Shaking his head, Joe couldn't help but wonder why he was suddenly thinking of his ex-girlfriend. Then it hit him. Today was her birthday.


	2. Chapter 2

Make a Wish

Chapter 2

As Joe was standing at his locker, Vanessa Bender was looking for her good friend, Callie Shaw. After about five minutes, Vanessa had just about had it. Mumbling, she said under her breath, "First Joe, now Callie. What is this? Make Vanessa wait day?"

In truth, Vanessa probably would have left if she hadn't been so worried about Callie. Over the past three weeks or so, Callie had been acting very strangely. Usually a happy, vibrant, and vivacious person, Callie had suddenly become withdrawn and, it seemed to Vanessa, quite secretive. Normally, she and Callie shared a lot of things, but this time, Callie had been avoiding her. Vanessa didn't know if this isolation was affecting her relationship with Frank or not, but she was determined to find out.

One thing she DID know was that Callie had been hanging around a lot with a new student in the school, Jeff Wellington. Jeff really wouldn't have attracted any attention, as he stayed to himself and out of the spotlight, except for two things. First, he was apparently related to Graig Saunders, the right-fielder for Bayport High, somehow. Second, Jeff was pretty good-looking, with black hair and green eyes, and many of the senior girls were pretty smitten with him. He, however, seemed to be pretty overtly interested in Callie. Maybe that was the cause of her concern.

Vanessa, about to leave, found herself thinking, ironically, "Now I'M keeping JOE waiting." Suddenly, she saw Callie headed in her direction.

"Callie! Over here!" she shouted. Callie, much to Vanessa's amazement, actually jumped; she looked so lost in thought. Nonetheless, Vanessa ran up to her friend and gave her a quick hug.

"Hey, girl! I thought you were avoiding me there for an instant. You were supposed to meet me about 10 minutes ago, remember? I mean, first Joe is late, which doesn't surprise me, and then you and then..." Vanessa paused instantly when she saw the confused look on her friend's face.

"Cal? What's wrong?" Vanessa asked. She noticed that Callie's face was very pale, and that she looked a bit disheveled. For a normal person, this wouldn't be a big deal, but for Callie, this was a disaster. Callie was one of the most beautiful girls at Bayport High, with long, golden - blonde hair, soft brown eyes, a great figure, and a winning smile. She also, though, was like Frank-- very conservative-- and she tended to downplay her looks by tying her hair back, wearing subtle make-up, and always dressing impeccably. Worried, Vanessa asked again, "Callie? Talk to me. Come on."

Callie tried to fight back the fear she was feeling and managed a weak smile. "Sorry, Vanessa. I...I guess I'm a little bit distracted today. Have you seen .."

"Frank?" Vanessa interjected.

"No" Callie answered quickly. She couldn't talk to Frank now, as badly as she wanted to. Or Joe. Or Chet, Or Tony, Or Liz… or anyone else for that matter. "I was kind of looking for Jeff. Have you seen him?"

Puzzled, Vanessa asked, "Callie? What's wrong with you lately? Why are you hanging out with that guy? I mean, he's hot and all, but he kind of gives me the creeps, and so does his...cousin, isn't it? Why don't you talk to me or Frank?"

Fighting back the tears that threatened to overwhelm her, Callie whispered, "I can't, Vanessa. I'm... okay."

Vanessa, trying to keep the panic out of her voice, tried to change the subject. "Well, then, might you know why Joe kept me waiting? I hope he hasn't got his eye on another girl," Vanessa joked, trying to keep things light-hearted.

Looking up, Callie met her friend's eye. "Oh, Vanessa. There were only two girls Joe ever loved. You're one of them. The other is ..." her voice choked up "Iola. And today is her birthday."

Before she could continue, Callie heard a voice calling her name. She looked up and saw Jeff Wellington headed in her direction, and instantly her heart dropped.

"Hey, Callie! What's up, gorgeous?" he queried.

Vanessa was too shocked to say anything. Jeff's words towards Callie were bad enough, but Callie's reaction was even more unexpected.

"Oh, hey yourself" she smiled, the discomfort she had felt only moments earlier having apparently disappeared.

"Who's your friend?" he asked, giving Vanessa shivers with the way he simultaneously seemed to hit on her and wrap his arm around Callie's waist. Callie, apparently undaunted by this behavior, managed to reply sweetly, "This is my friend, Vanessa. She's my boyfriend's brother's girlfriend, too."

"Well, Vanessa, pleased to meet you" he smiled coyly.

"But Callie" he went on, "Let's not talk about Frankie boy, okay? I guess you haven't told them yet. But, we better get going."

With that, he steered Callie away from Vanessa and through the front door. Vanessa was totally shocked at this odd behavior of both Callie's and Jeff's. What did he mean by his question? The oddest thing of all to Vanessa, though, was that, if she wasn't mistaken, beneath Callie's sudden change of attitude, she could have sworn that she saw Callie shaking.


	3. Chapter 3

_A/N: Thanks so much for the feedback and reviews! Also, thanks for remembering that this story was my first, YEARS ago... so although the style needs some work, I hope you'll like the content. I'll keep posting 1-2 chapters a day. :)_

Make a Wish

Chapter 3

Two hours later, Joe Hardy entered his house, considerably less enthused about May, baseball, the prom, and Vanessa than he had been earlier in the day. On the way home, Vanessa had told him about her conversation with Callie, and he had to admit that it seemed like a mystery to him. Ordinarily, that would have made Joe's day even brighter- there was nothing like a good adventure to get his competitive and creative juices flowing. However, although he and Callie were certainly friends, he could just hear her words echoing in his mind if he offered to help.

"_Hey Callie, what's up with you and this Jeff guy?"_

_"Mind your own business."_

_"Well, fine. If you don't want my expert advice..."_

_"I don't."_

_"If you're cheating on Frank.."_

_"Then that's my business."_

That, followed by a lot of shouting and Frank ultimately being angry at him, was the usual course of action. So, he figured, if Callie wanted anyone's help, she'd have to do the asking. Frank had his hands full with that girl!

What was really on his mind, though, was the fact that he had forgotten about Iola's birthday. If he could not remember one date about a girl he had loved so much, did that mean he was forgetting her already? What kind of person was he? To make matters worse, apparently Callie had mentioned Iola's birthday to Vanessa, who was a bit upset about it, and THEY had had a fight, and now the only dinner that Joe was going to get was last night's meatloaf.

With a sigh, Joe headed upstairs to his room. _"Oh, well"_ he thought. _"At least I saved a few bucks."_ With that, he was about to enter his room to look through old photo albums of him and Iola when he suddenly heard his brother's voice on the phone line that they shared.

Ordinarily, Joe wouldn't have listened in to his brother's conversation, but his normally even-tempered, mellow brother appeared to be yelling into the phone.

"I just don't understand it! Why won't you talk to me?!"

_Pause._

"Listen, I really need to talk to you--Whenever. Tomorrow. Tonight. Right now."

_Pause._

"What do you mean you can't?"

"Hello? Hello?" And with that, Frank Hardy slammed the phone into its cradle, and nearly knocked his books off his otherwise perfectly neat desk.

"Girl problems, there, big brother?" Joe quipped, but one glance at Frank's face stopped his teasing at once. "What's the matter? Is there something wrong with you and Callie?"

Frank looked up at Joe and sighed. He had always been a private person, and even though Joe was his brother and best friend, he and Callie had always made it a point to keep their private lives to themselves. Besides, Frank wanted to help Callie now, and didn't need to hear one of Joe's famous anti- Callie digs. On the other hand, he COULD use some advice here.

Hesitantly, he began. "Joe, I don't know. Callie's been acting really weird lately. I've barely seen her, at school or on the weekends. I..." he hesitated. "I think she may be - ah- involved somehow with that new student, Jeff Wellington. But I don't know. I mean, I know her really well, and there's no way she would cheat on me--right?"

Frank paused before continuing. "You won't believe this either, but Chet's actually been hinting that Callie IS cheating, and normally Chet and Callie get along great… but even HE'S been talking kind of badly about her. I really don't know what to say."

Joe resisted the urge to make a sly comment about Callie when he saw the distressed look on Frank's face. Slowly, he recalled the conversation he had with Vanessa, and told Frank about Callie walking away with Jeff. As he did this, he watched Frank's face get slowly redder, so he felt he had to end with, "... and that's about it, but, like I said, Vanessa seemed suspicious about how Callie reacted -- Jeff's comment, you know, could have meant anything."

"Well, Joe," Frank responded hesitantly, "There's only one way to find out. If someone's bothering Callie or if she's hiding something, I'll know. And if she IS cheating, then this Jeff guy's going to have a real problem on his hands. So, I'm going to go ask her."

And with that, Frank Hardy grabbed his sweater, left the room, and headed downstairs and out the door, leaving his brother staring open-mouthed after him.

_Iola_, Joe thought, _you'd know what advice to give._ Sadly, he plopped onto Frank's bed and shut his eyes. "Great day this is turning out to be," he muttered.


	4. Chapter 4

Make a Wish

Chapter 4

Callie looked down at the letter in her hands one more time and, again, she couldn't believe what was in front of her. Reaching over on the table, she grabbed two aspirins and popped them in her mouth. God, this had been a terrible month, and today was just getting worse. As she nervously looked around her kitchen one more time, she decided to close her eyes for a minute and try to make some sense of all of this.

It had been just about a month ago when Callie had come home from school after choir practice, and she clearly remembered being in a good mood that day. She had been given a solo part in the upcoming concert, Liz Webling, her best friend, had decided that a shopping day was in order, on her, and Frank had given her a beautiful rose, "Just because I love you." So, when she came up to her door that afternoon and saw a large plain manila envelope with the words "For Callie's eyes only" she presumed it was just another good surprise to add to her already wonderful day. She couldn't have been more wrong.

The first thing she saw were the photographs--not just any photographs, either. In the envelope were pictures of Iola Morton, taken from grade school and high school. All of the photos had both Iola and Joe Hardy in them through the years, even prior to their dating. As shocked as Callie had been, she continued to look through the photos when they began to take on a more ominous tone. First, there had been pictures of Iola and Joe on the day that Iola had died at the mall. Then, there were pictures of the Hardys' car, which had gone up in a ball of flame. There were pictures of the Morton family mausoleum, where Iola's name had been engraved as a remembrance, and of the memorial service for her. Finally, though, there had been the two pictures that had made everything in Callie's life change. There she was, Iola Morton, considerably thinner with much longer hair, looking into the camera in terror. The picture's date was six weeks ago. A caption written underneath said, simply, "Help me."

Shaking, Callie had opened the accompanying note to the series of pictures. A short paragraph followed. Callie could still remember every word. It read, "Callie Shaw. It's your turn now. Joe Hardy has suffered; Frank Hardy will, too, if you don't follow these instructions carefully. Iola Morton is alive. Your only chance to save her is to do as we say. Her birthday is coming up, and she was told to "make a wish." Save her, and make her wish come true. Listen, and she will live. Do not, and you will both die."

After that, Callie was informed that more information would follow, and follow it did. Although Callie had been terrified, she knew enough to remain quiet until she knew more. The next day, after school, there was a knock on her door. Although she did not recognize the handsome young man on her doorstep, he must have sensed that she was looking through her peephole, as he held up a sign that said simply, "Iola." She let him in.

The young man's name was "Jeff," or so he told her. Quite frankly, Callie had no idea what to think or to believe anymore. The story he told her was amazing, but Callie was perfectly certain that there was no kindness beneath his words and his very presence made her quiver. He told her that he worked for a group called "The Assassins," a name that Callie vaguely remembered Frank mentioning something about. He told her that Iola was alive, and that it was, of course, her wish to be free. He made it a point of telling her that the Assassins were not in the habit of making wishes come true. Callie had to agree; this seemed more like a nightmare. However, their group had problems with the entire Hardy family, particularly Frank and Joe, and they now decided that the only way to get their final revenge against them was to borrow Callie for "a week or so" to make Frank worry, and, then, to release both girls. In this manner, they would make the Hardy's fear their ongoing threat and remind them of the fact they existed, but no one would get hurt. Iola and Callie would both have no idea where they were, and thus could never give anyone information.

Callie had never been so scared in her life. She knew she had absolutely no reason to believe that this person was telling the truth or, if he was, that her safety could be assured. Clearly, if they had hurt Iola and had taken her away for so long, what made her think they wouldn't do the very same to her? Even more so, Callie remembered a case that she had been involved with some time ago, which Frank referred to as "Dead of Night," that had involved this group, where she had been tied up and almost killed. She also knew that this group was not only violent, but capable of producing body doubles and clones. How did she know that this was the real Iola? _Damn_, she thought. _I really should have asked Frank for more details about that case_. Frank, though, was always pretty secretive when it came to his detective work.

Gathering her courage, she had asked some of these questions to Jeff, whom, she soon noticed, at a close glance, looked considerably older than his appearance at first glance. His response is what frightened her the most. He had simply smiled and said, "Well, Callie, you will never know. You see, your other option is death for both you and Iola. Your way loses. Mine wins. Period."

He then told her that she was to act in absolute secrecy and tell no one anything, and that she would be watched at all times. To prove his point, he took out a large series of pictures that made Callie's skin crawl. The pictures were over the course of the last year. They showed Callie at the most nondescript moments of her life, from school classes, to hanging out with friends, to some of her most intimate and private moments with Frank. Her skin drained of color.

"We will be watching you, Callie, As a matter of fact, I have arranged a transfer into your school. It is to your benefit to rid yourself of close acquaintances, and to break up with Frank Hardy. In this way, his loss for you, albeit temporary, will be made all the worse by his last minute betrayal. This, my dear, is not an option."

Before he left, he looked at Callie and whispered, "I can see you. We can all hear you. Be very, very careful. In one month's time, the preparation will be complete and you will see your friend again. Unless you want to die, or to have your beloved Frank meet a similar fate, you will do as I say. Happy birthday, Iola." He then kissed her cheek in parting.

Callie immediately had run to the bathroom and vomited.


	5. Chapter 5

_A/N: Hi, all! Thanks to the few of you who are leaving reviews-- it's nice to know there was SOME merit to this early story! :) I did notice when I re-read this that, as the story progresses, the chapters get much longer and more detailed-- I think I started developing my "style" halfway through! LOL! In any case, as promised, I have posted 2 chapters today. Depending on the length of the next one, I'll post another 1-2 tomorrow. Thanks again! Happy Sunday!_

_--Cheryl_

Make a Wish

Chapter 5

_Ding dong. Knock, knock knock_.

The loud sounds emanating from the front of the house woke Callie from her reverie. _I must have fallen asleep_, she thought. Looking at the clock, Callie realized that it was after 7:00. Could it be that in a few days she would never see this home again, or her family? Or friends? Or Frank?

_Frank_. Callie groaned. She hated pretending to cheat on him, and she hated, above anything, not to be able to ask him for help, to throw herself into his arms and to bury her face in his chest and just have him hold her. But… she couldn't do that. And if it meant saving her friend and saving Frank's life, then there simply wasn't a price high enough for her to pay.

_Ding dong_.

Groggily, Callie got up and looked through her door. _Oh, God. Frank_.

She had created this argument, and it broke her heart to hurt him. Tomorrow was supposed to be the hardest day of all. Jeff had insisted that she break up with Frank that day. She wasn't ready. But... she didn't have a choice. And it looked to Callie like this moment was going to be forced tonight, here and now. Trembling, Callie swallowed and mentally prepared her speech. When she opened the door, though, all words escaped her and she was left staring into his eyes, lost in the moment.

"C... come in" she managed. Callie tried to avert Frank's eyes, but she did glimpse the look of pain on his face when he entered.

"We need to talk, Cal. Now," he said, tersely.

Head down, Callie led Frank into the living room and told him to have a seat. She could barely speak.

Finally, Frank spoke, in a voice that was far more gentle than what Callie had expected to hear.

"Callie. Baby, I'm WORRIED about you. You're not talking to me. I mean..." Frank faltered. "Callie, we've been together for a long time, and in that time, we've shared a lot of things. You mean everything to me; you know that. There's nothing I won't do for you. I LOVE you, Callie. What's wrong? Why won't you tell me?"

Callie couldn't help herself. She burst into tears. But, as Frank reached out for her, Callie did the hardest thing she ever had to do in her life-- she turned away. _It's now or never_, she thought.

"Frank.." she choked out, trying to control her tears. "I...I... I mean, I know we've been together for a long time, and you did mean everything to me, too, and..."

"DID?" Frank asked, shocked. He couldn't believe it. Everything Chet and others had been saying was true. Could it be over?

His face devoid of color, Frank managed to blurt out, "Are you cheating? Are you and ... Jeff", he sputtered, trying not to choke, "together? God, Callie, tell me I'm wrong here. We promised to never cheat!! How could you?!" He felt caught somewhere between rage, heartbreak, and, strangely, hope.

Callie almost collapsed. She felt her world explode and her voice seem to separate from the rest of her body as she said the lines that she had been forced to say.

"Frank." Her voice seemed cool and distant to Frank, and unearthly to Callie, herself. "Yes, it's true. Jeff is my new boyfriend. As a matter of fact, I'm planning on leaving on vacation with him next week and missing school as a way of getting to know one another."

She winced deep down at the worst part of this required horror. "And," she continued, "Since everyone who gets involved with you or Joe gets hurt somehow- like IOLA- I had to get out before you were responsible for getting me killed. You've hurt me so many times before, Frank, like Joe did to Iola. That's it. Goodbye."

Frank had never been so utterly shocked and horrified at the same time. Callie-- how could she say that about Joe? Did she honestly think he ever tried to hurt her? She had cheated on him?! He wanted to shout, to hit something. He wanted to at once shake her silly and to hold her one more time and pretend this never happened. He wanted to do something, anything other than what he did.

Frank simply got up, went to the door and left.

_I hope you understand one day, Frank_, she managed to whisper as the door slammed in front of her, and she fell to the floor and sobbed.


	6. Chapter 6

Make A Wish

Make A Wish

Chapter 6

Two days had passed, and everything in Callie's life seemed to have come apart. It was Thursday, and she knew that tomorrow, she would have to leave on her nightmarish ordeal. Everything that had happened lately seemed, all at once, to be a blur to her.

Since Tuesday night, she had actually felt the coldness from all of her friends. God knows what Frank had told Joe. She had only seen Frank twice in those two days, and both times were in school. Frank had managed to avoid any contact with her. It seemed in those times that the entire class could feel the split of Bayport High's most popular couple, and suddenly all of Shakespeare's sonnets which the English teacher was droning on about took on more meaning than ever to her. She knew intrinsically that everyone was accusing her of terrible things, and she heard quite a few references to her character from some catty girls in the hallway. Despite all of it, though, Callie sincerely doubted that these rumors were coming from Frank. It simply wasn't his style.

She had seen Joe in the halls, and if looks could kill, Callie thought she would probably be dead now. She shuddered at the thought. _Better not think THAT so soon_, she scolded herself silently.

With Joe's animosity, Vanessa had refused to talk to her, although of anyone, she did think she saw some hint of pity in her friend's eyes. _If only she knew the truth_, Callie sighed inwardly.

Tony, Biff, and even Liz were, if not exactly mean to Callie, certainly giving her the cold shoulder. The worst of all was Chet. In the years she had known him, they had become pretty close, especially since Frank and Joe were always going away on their detective exploits. Chet had been her date by default on more occasions than she cared to remember when Frank had to "run off and get the bad guys" on one of his cases. She had always enjoyed Chet's good humor and easy going spirit, and they had become especially close after Iola...

Again, Callie couldn't think of that now. Chet had become like a brother to her, and thus his behavior seemed especially vicious to her now.

Blinking back tears, she overheard some Juniors talking about how Frank was now the school's top bachelor, along maybe with that Jeff guy and his cousin Graig. She heard all sorts of rumors about herself, including how she was "sleeping around" with Jeff and a multitude of many others, apparently. She also heard people talk about how the only reason she got such good grades was because Frank had helped her, and that she was really a dumb blonde underneath. The most hurtful of the rumors and the one that seemed the most prevalent was the one where people said that she played off the death of her friend Iola and told people that she was so glad Iola died instead of herself that fateful day. Some rumors were even so outrageous to suggest that she was behind the bombing to bring sympathy towards herself.

Callie felt like dying inside from the lack of humanity people showed her, and how fickle all of her friends were turning out to be.

Driving home from school that day, Callie struggled to keep her composure. Jeff was really scaring her now, producing old clothes of Iola's and reminding her of their "trip" the next day. Callie had no one to turn to. Her folks were away on vacation. She had no friends. And even if she did try to talk to someone, no doubt she was being watched. The thought of driving her little Nova as fast as she could straight into a guardrail was beginning to look more and more appealing to her. As she approached the turnoff to her street, Callie suddenly made a decision. She HAD to tell someone. If she didn't return, somehow, to Bayport in two weeks time, she knew that she was as good as dead. She needed someone to know what was going on, just in case. But who?!

Callie thought as hard as she could, and fought to let her logic take control of her very scattered emotions.

_Any one of the Hardys. No_. That was out. Joe hated her, and Frank, she was trying to protect. Chet obviously had some major issue with her. Liz would freak out and would probably go running immediately to Frank. She wasn't close enough with Tony. She desperately wanted to tell Vanessa, but that would go right to Joe. And, even if Vanessa COULD keep the secret, she knew her friend would be horrified at the thought of Callie risking her life to save Joe's ex-girlfriend. Then, it hit her.

With shaking hands, Callie dialed her cell phone and prayed that Biff would give her a chance.


	7. Chapter 7

_A/N: Thanks again for the feedback and the reviews!! This scene transpired after reading one of the early Casefiles—it just has my take on it! Hope you like it. Thanks so much again. I've posted 2 more chapters today!_

Make a Wish

Chapter 7

Biff Hooper honestly could not believe that he was doing this. Here he was, right in the middle of Bayport Mall, hiding in the women's dressing room of Lord and Taylor's. His cousin Shelley worked there and was able to sneak him in. Thank God that she wasn't a gossip, although he knew that she would harass him mercilessly over the next several years about this.

A 6'5" football player, Biff knew that he'd be a standout in a woman's dress and heels pretending to be trying on clothes. Mortified, Biff tried to think of something positive about the situation. He couldn't even check out other women's shopping habits or overhear their conversation, as the store was closed and it was after hours. _Well, maybe now I can understand what Women Really Want_, he thought dryly, thinking to the Mel Gibson movie he had recently seen. _Hell, if I get half the women that guy has, I'll dress in garters every day_. He laughed at the thought, and then instantly blushed at the stupidity of this whole situation.

Callie Shaw had called him out of the blue and begged him to meet her at the Mall. She hung up quickly, saying she didn't want to be tailed, and begged him that if he was ever her friend, to do this one favor for her and she would never bother him again. He decided to go for it, and he honestly couldn't say why. He was close friends with the Hardys', especially Joe, and he knew how Joe felt about Callie. There were a ton of rumors about Callie's recent behavior as well. Maybe, Biff admitted, he was just mildly curious. He would defend Frank and Joe till the end, but he had honestly always liked Callie. He thought she was good for Frank- she loosened him up a bit. Actually, Biff had always thought that Joe and Callie would make a hilarious couple, since they were both so alike, but maybe it was the theory that opposites attract that made his idea unlikely. As Biff was thinking these thoughts, he found himself inspecting the materials of his dress and his size, and thinking he might look better in lavender...

"Biff?"

He jumped. "Callie?" he questioned in a deeper voice than usual, just to assert his masculinity one more time.

"Yes. Please, can I come in?" Callie's voice was quivering.

"Ah… yeah," said Biff, opening the door and dragging her in. Biff towered over Callie by about a foot, and she was obviously startled by his appearance. "Um, trying out the new spring line?" she tried to joke, but her own attempt at joviality fell flat.

"Listen, Callie," said Biff, suddenly serious. "I'm more than a little angry at being here right now. I look a little silly", he continued, not allowing time for her to make a sarcastic comment, "and I think what you did to Frank was pretty horrible. So, tell me your story, and why I have to meet you like this, and why me, of all people, and MAYBE, just MAYBE, I'll give you a chance." He looked at Callie, and noticed that she really looked tired and miserable, and he tried to soften his expression. He felt kind of badly for her, so he added, "And then maybe we'll swap fashion tips."

Callie couldn't even smile, and now Biff was worried. They had never been especially close, and Biff didn't know how to read her.

"Biff," Callie began, "Let me get to the point. A long time ago, I know you asked Joe Hardy a favor. You asked him not to tell anybody about some weird army- training thing that you wanted to do in the South, in their case they called "Deathgame." I know you were almost killed, and so was Frank. The point is, Joe kept his mouth shut until you were in trouble, and then he and Frank helped you. Do you remember that?"

Biff was silenced. How on earth would Callie know about that?

She spoke again. "I need you to help me, Biff. I honestly do. I have nowhere to turn, and," she continued, her voice breaking, "I am so scared. Please, before I tell you, PLEASE promise me that you won't tell anyone unless you really think that something has happened. I can't tell you unless you give me your word, and I don't have much time."

Biff hesitated. Callie's desperation was really beginning to concern him. He had no reason to help her, and he thought this whole situation was ludicrous. Yet, he couldn't help but to think of how desperate he was when he had asked for Joe's help some time ago and, if Callie was telling the truth, he now felt an obligation to help her.

Biff sighed. "Ok, Callie. I give you my word. This better be worth it."

Fifteen minutes later, Biff found himself absolutely transfixed and horrified at hearing Callie's tale. He told her that she was out of her mind; that Iola had died. Even if she had lived and all of this was true, what could Callie do? He begged her to let him tell Frank and Joe, or Chet, but she refused. She made him promise that if she wasn't back in two weeks, he could ask for help.

"Biff, I have no idea where I'm going, or where Iola is, or if she's alive. But my gut instinct says that this has something to do with the Lazarus Clinic in Maine, again. Please. Just tell that to Frank or Mr. Hardy if I'm not back. If I am not there," she sighed, miserably, "then just tell Frank I love him and I'm sorry, and tell Joe to hold out hope that Iola could be alive."

With that, Callie nervously turned around, checked out her surroundings, and left. Biff tried to follow, and probably would have succeeded, had not a group of salesclerks who were cleaning the store, started laughing at him. Face red, Biff threw off his woman's clothes, which he had put on over his own, and ran to the parking lot. Cursing himself and his ability to stay true to his word, Biff looked around and saw nothing. Callie was gone.


	8. Chapter 8

_The next chapter. The plot thickens! LOL!_

Make a Wish

Chapter 8

Almost two weeks later, at baseball practice, Frank Hardy was having one of the roughest days of his season. No matter what he did, nothing seemed to be a success. Normally a star-pitcher known for his fastball, affectionately dubbed the "Hardy Heater", Frank was performing horribly. Thank goodness this was only practice, he thought, as yet another curve ball hung in the air a split second too long and careened nicely over the right field fence. Oh, well. At least Joe in center -field would have less running to do out there, although he'd probably be after practice for quite a bit chasing down the sea of baseballs over the fence.

As he was about to enter his wind-up, he was interrupted by a loud "Hold it, Hardy!" from the bench. _Grea_t, Frank thought bitterly. Now the coach wants to give it to me. With a groan, Frank jogged over to the coach who immediately told him to have a seat on the bench and to spend a few minutes envisioning the ball going into the catcher's glove. _Envisioning the ball_, Frank muttered to himself, _was not the problem. Getting it there was_.

From the outfield, Joe Hardy watched his big brother get yanked out of practice and sit on the bench. Ordinarily, Joe would've loved the opportunity to tease his brother about what a terrible pitcher he was in his old age. Then again, ordinarily, Frank wasn't terrible, or even average, for that matter. Joe was seriously worried about Frank. Ever since Frank and Callie had split up, Frank had really been a basket-case. His normally top-notch grades began to slip, his pitching went down the tubes, he began to withdraw from his friends, and he didn't seem to care about anything. The night that Frank had come home from Callie's was the strangest night that Joe could remember in a long time. Frank looked like he had been crying, and Joe had been shocked. He honestly couldn't remember ever seeing his brother cry; well, other than that time when they had been kids and Joe had had rigged trip wire to the basement stairs to see if it would work. And it had.

In any case, when he asked Frank what had happened, Frank told him, basically, that Callie and Jeff were together and that their relationship was over. Joe had, of course, flipped out, and had gone on a long tirade in which he had cursed out Callie with as many adjectives as he could possibly remember.

Strangely, Frank almost started to defend her, but then had said quietly, "Enough, Joe. It's over. That's it," and had gone upstairs.

In the following weeks, Frank had literally said nothing else about it, so that was where Joe decided to interject his brotherly duty and to talk for Frank. Pretty soon, the whole school was aware of Callie's actions. Joe had to admit that he did feel a little guilty for spreading the rumors, because, despite their differences, Callie had always seemed to be a good person and a friend. Then again, Joe had learned all too often that appearances were often deceiving.

Joe hadn't been the only one to get on the anti- Callie bandwagon. As he looked around the field, he thought wryly that it was basically a good part of the entire baseball team that had added to a lot of the circus.

Chet was the catcher, and even before the breakup, he had been attacking Callie. Joe didn't like the mention of Iola's name, though, where Chet had implied that Callie had used Iola's death to get sympathy for herself. Iola's name was sacred to Joe, and he was surprised that Chet would bring his sister into it. However, Chet obviously wanted to defend Frank, and if nothing else, Joe could appreciate his loyalty. Joe had noticed, though, that Chet had been spending a lot of time with their relatively new right-fielder, Graig Saunders. Joe only knew Graig in passing- sometimes literally in passing in the outfield- but he had seemed alright.

Joe had almost confronted Graig when Callie and Jeff suddenly disappeared from school, but he had held himself back. He decided that you couldn't be responsible for the actions of your family or be judged by them. At least that was what Frank had always told him, Joe reflected.

Biff, on the other hand, was acting really strangely. He was a designated hitter for the team, and occasionally played the outfield. Football was really his first love, but he played baseball to keep in shape for the upcoming season. In any event, Biff had, at first, gone along with all the talk about Callie. He had even joked that Frank didn't have to kill Jeff; Callie's father would. Throughout the rest of the week, though, he had kept fairly silent and, in the presence of conversation about Callie, he appeared to get angry or upset. Right now, he was throwing around a baseball with Graig.

All of a sudden, Joe heard, "Hardy! You better call it!" and he looked up into the glaring light at what appeared to be the world's tallest fly ball. _I could probably jog around the field and have lunch by the time this sucker gets down_, he thought. Much to his surprise, out of the corner of his eye, he saw Graig running in and trying to call him off. Immediately, Joe's competitive streak hit him and he began to call Graig off. _Well, at least something interesting was happening in practice today_, he thought silently.

As both boys ran for the ball, Joe reached his glove up and almost caught it in the tip of his glove_. Almost_. At the same moment, Graig literally stuck out his foot and Joe went flying into the air and onto the ground, allowing Graig to make a nice-looking diving catch.

Far away in the infield, Joe heard first the applause for Graig and then the laughter at his expense, and he suddenly jumped up and shoved Graig hard in the chest.

"What the hell did you do that for?!" he yelled.

Graig, infuriatingly, didn't fight back, which made Joe look like the aggressor. He just appeared to feign shock, and said easily, "Well, I don't know what you're talking about. I guess both you and your brother have issues today. You both have no game - with baseball, or girls, I hear. Didn't Chet's sister run off on you before she died, like Callie did to Frank? Man..."

With that, Joe threw a hard punch at Graig's face, sending him reeling back.

The next thing Joe knew, about four of his teammates were on top of him holding him down, and the rest were gathered around Graig, who of course, acted every bit the innocent victim. From the infield, it probably did look like Joe had started the incident. As Joe started to protest, he heard the coach exclaim, "Practice is over! Go home. Be prepared for a long one tomorrow. We'll be looking for a new center-fielder!" With that statement, Joe Hardy found himself off the team.

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At Vanessa's later that night, Joe couldn't be consoled. It's not like he could tell Vanessa exactly what comment had made him so angry, but he could express his anger and frustration about the fight and being kicked off the team. The coach had given him a suspension "indefinitely" until he could decide a punishment adequate enough for his satisfaction. One person, though, could understand his frustration, and would believe him. Turning to Vanessa with an apologetic look, he said, "Vanessa, I've had a horrible day. I really need to talk to Chet. I can't believe that he would side with Graig over me. Do you mind if I go? I swear, I'll make it up to you."

Vanessa shook her head slowly. Things were going from bad to worse. First Callie, then Frank, now Joe. Was everyone going crazy? Then, seeing the look on Joe's face, she melted a bit.

"All right. Go ahead. I'll help you think of ways to make it up to me," she replied.

With a smile, Joe leaned over and kissed her. "You're the best."

"I know," she confirmed with a small smile.

About ten minutes later, Joe found himself in Chet's living room, making small talk with Chet's mother. A few minutes later, Chet appeared in the doorway, and Mrs. Morton made a graceful exit out of the room. The two boys looked at each other warily.

Finally, Joe broke the silence. "Look, Chet. I have to know- you do believe that Graig started the argument, don't you? I have to tell you what he said before..."

Chet cut him off. "Joe, I want to believe you, but Graig said that you made up some story about" -he hesitated- "about Iola, and I mean, he's been a good guy so far, and I can't believe you'd do that."

Joe stood shocked. Iola's name was the one subject that they had both avoided in the past year. Joe shuddered. It was almost as if Iola's presence was around more than ever these past few weeks.

Still, Joe managed to continue. "You're right, Chet. I wouldn't do something like that. Believe me if you want to, but it was GRAIG who talked about Iola, and how she left me before she- you know- that day…" he faltered.

Chet sighed, and the anger seemed to melt away from him. He suddenly looked like the old Chet Joe had known since kindergarten.

"Alright. I'm sorry, Joe. I have to believe you, I guess. I mean, you've seen me through my jalopy days. I guess you're telling the truth. It's just that things have been so weird lately. I mean, it was Iola's birthday, and then Graig and his cousin show up, and then Callie and Frank break up. I don't know. Callie turned out to be pretty miserable, didn't she? I mean talking about Iola, cheating on Frank..."

"Talking about Iola? What are you talking about?" Joe was puzzled.

"Oh, never mind. It's a long story. Let's just say that Graig and I decided to protect Iola's memory and to teach Callie a lesson. I can't believe she'd hurt me like that. Oh, well. It's taken care of."

Joe had rarely been so confused in his entire life. "Teach her a lesson? What are you talking about? Callie and Jeff are who knows where, but... did you have something to do with this? What lesson? What do Callie and Iola have to do with one another?"

Before Chet could respond, there was a sudden ringing of his doorbell. Joe followed Chet to the door, and there, right out front, stood a very confused looking Frank Hardy and a pale Biff Hooper. Biff stepped though the doorway and said, in a voice altogether unlike his, "Guys, we all need to talk. Now."


	9. Chapter 9

_A/N: Thank you again for the reviews. I'm not sure how many people are actually reading this, but, if you are, I hope that you like it! BTW- This story, as with any others that I post, is completed._

Make a Wish

Chapter 9

At once, Chet ushered Joe, Frank, and Biff into his living room, and quickly closed the door behind him. Joe shot his brother a questioning glance, but Frank simply shrugged his shoulders in wonder. The boys sat down on the couch, except for Biff, who kept pacing back and forth across Chet's floor.

"So, uh, you said you wanted to talk…" Chet finally said, ending the silence.

Biff stopped pacing for a moment and nodded.

Frank spoke up. "I was sitting at home by myself tonight when Biff showed up. He said that he had some important information that he wanted to tell me. Before he began, he decided that he wanted to tell Chet, and when we got here, obviously Joe, you're here, too. And, well, here we are."

Biff looked at his friends, and had no idea where to begin. He had been a nervous wreck for the past two weeks, which was totally unlike his normal laid-back behavior. Every day, he kept checking for some sign of Callie, or some word from her, but there had been nothing. The first day or two after his encounter with Callie, he had kept replaying their conversation over in his mind. He had even convinced himself that she had been playing a game with him, and he had decided to talk to her in school that Monday.

But Monday had come, and Callie wasn't there. And neither, for that matter, was Jeff. It was as if the two had suddenly disappeared. He had heard through the grapevine that someone had called in Callie's absence from school as a result of a "sudden death of a relative", the very irony of that statement striking him at once. As for Jeff, no one heard from him again. Apparently, Graig, Jeff's cousin, had nothing to say on the matter, and little else was mentioned. Callie's friends had heard the rumors, and they thought that she had basically lost her mind. Otherwise, he was sure, a lot more questions would have been asked.

He hated himself for letting this go this far. He never should have promised her not to say anything, as loony as her story sounded. For, as the days went by and Callie wasn't seen, the credibility of her story began to grow. The guilt he felt at keeping this secret was beginning to consume him, and he felt that no more time could go by before he did something. If Callie was hurt, or if Iola was alive, action had to be taken, and fast.

"Earth to Biff. Earth to Biff. It's getting kind of late. Can you tell us why we're all here?" Joe questioned. He had to admit that Biff's behavior was certainly curious, but another part of him wanted to return to his conversation with Chet about Callie and Iola. Nonetheless, never a man of patience, Joe tried to bear with his friend since something was obviously bothering him.

"Guys, I need to tell you something, and you might not believe me, but I swear to you that it's the truth. It's about..." Biff searched for the right words, but couldn't find them, "It's about Callie, Frank. And Joe and Chet, it's also about Iola. If you can accept that, then this will be easier to handle."

Frank and Joe were suddenly more alert than they had been all day.

Joe was the first to speak. "Iola! It seems like everything is revolving around her lately! What can you possibly have to say about her?" Joe was experiencing a mixture of outrage and curiosity. Couldn't everyone just let his love go, and come to terms with her death? He felt as if all of these mentions of her name were somehow unsettling to her spirit, even though he knew logically that this made no sense. Still, he WAS curious.

"I... I really don't want to talk about Callie," Frank said quietly. Joe looked at his brother. It was true that Frank had spoken very little about what had transpired between him and Callie that night they had broken up. Yet, despite the rumors about Callie, Frank had never once said a bad word about her to him, or to anyone else, for that matter. At that moment, it hit Joe what a classy person his brother was, and he suddenly felt ashamed for his actions. He saw now that the words that hurt Callie still, on some level, affected Frank, and that therefore, he was at least partially responsible for his brother's pain.

Chet spoke up. "Uh, guys? I don't mean to interrupt here, but Biff's obviously got something to say, and I, for one, would like to hear what he has to say about my sister, at least. So, Frank, if you could just forget about Callie for a second, not that I see why you'd want to think about her, and Joe, if you could like snap out of it, and…"

"Enough!" Biff finally interjected. "Joe, Frank, Chet- I think," he paused momentarily before continuing, "I think Iola may still be alive. And, Callie might not be. I need your help."

With that whopper of a statement, Biff watched all three of his friends' faces drain of color and their mouths fall open. Over the next twenty minutes or so, Biff launched into his story, trying to recall as much detail as possible, and realizing how completely stupid this whole thing sounded. At the same time, he desperately wanted-- needed-- to convince his friends that it was true.

As he wrapped up, he found himself barely able to look in the eyes of Frank Hardy, who looked so tortured and incredulous it was almost painful. Still, he did direct his last sentence towards Frank. "And so, Callie's last words to me were 'if I am not back in two weeks, then I am probably in a lot of trouble. I don't know where I'm going, but if I don't return, tell Frank I love him and I'm sorry, and tell Joe to hold out hope that Iola is alive.'"

As Biff looked down at his shoes, he realized for the first time how deafeningly loud silence could be. He then remembered to add, "Oh yeah, and she said to mention that she had a gut instinct about some place called- Lazy- Lazry.."

"God, Lazarus," Frank whispered.

"Yeah. Yeah-- that's it. Although she said she physically had no clue as to where she was being taken," Biff responded. "Frank, buddy, I am so sorry. I ..." Words failed him. "I was wrong. And now I feel responsible. I can't ask for your forgiveness, but I can tell you that I'm going to help find her. I promise." With that, Biff was quiet.

Joe found himself shaking at the story, and he had tears running down his face. Oh, God. Could it be true? Could Iola really be alive? He wanted so terribly to believe it, but he had been down this road twice before, and he couldn't do it again. Still, if there was any chance, any at all, he had to check it out. He owed that to her. Quickly, he wiped the tears from his eyes before, he hoped, his brother or friends could see them. What could they do?

Chet's reaction was probably the most surprising of all. Shaking, he stood up and shouted, "No! No! This CAN'T be true!"

"How, Chet? How do you know?" Joe shouted back, emotion raging through his veins. "What if it is?! How can you let that possibility go? And if it's not true, then where the hell is Callie?" Joe couldn't control himself any longer. He wanted to act, there and now, and get started on a trip he knew they would all be making to the Lazarus Clinic in Maine.

Frank, who himself was about to lose it, tried to break this up. "Joe, I need to know. I need to find out. For Callie, Joe. I need to help her."

Seeing his brother so obviously aching made Joe calm down a bit; that is, until Chet shouted again, "No! It's not true!"

As the other three boys turned to him, Chet's voice broke, and he barely managed to get the next words out. "I don't know where Callie is, and I don't care. But I do know that she's not with Iola."

"HOW?!" Joe bellowed.

"I know because... because..." Chet faltered, voice shaking.

"Because why?" Joe countered.

Chet stared Joe down.

"Because I sent the pictures to Callie."


	10. Chapter 10

_A/N: Thank you so much for all of your reviews. Now the chapters are longer and more in tune with my style today... almost! As I mentioned in the first chapter, I wrote this story pretty much in the Casefiles format. For the purposes of clarification, the Lazarus clinic comes from the fourth (?) book, called THE LAZARUS PLOT, in which Joe is made to think that Iola is alive. It has to do with "cloning" and surgery, and it really played tricked on Joe's psyche. Iola was never resurrected in the Casefiles ..._

Again, thank you SO SO much for all of your reviews...

and RED-- LOL!! You are the BEST, girl! Thank you!

Make a Wish

Chapter 10

Callie Shaw opened her eyes slowly and groaned as she attempted to move. Her head throbbed, and she felt slightly sick to her stomach. As she hesitantly looked around her, she realized that she was in some sort of room that was--above all-- sickeningly bright. _Ironic,_ she thought. _Aren't places of doom and destruction supposed to be dark and dingy_?

As she tried to clear her head, Callie realized suddenly that she couldn't move. She was lying on some sort of gurney, her feet and arms tied down. Fighting back feelings of panic, she managed to look down her body and she realized that she was dressed in what appeared to be a gray sweat suit. Callie was instantly bothered, not by the lack of fashion, but how she had managed to get into these clothes. Squeezing her eyes shut, she droned out all possibilities about that, and thought back to a week ago, when her nightmare had begun...

After her talk with Biff, Callie had run home, praying that no one had managed to discover her whereabouts. She had no idea what to do. The next day, she would be leaving on her flight with "Jeff", to some unknown location, and she had rarely been so scared in her life. _Please God_, she had thought, _if I could make one wish, let me get back here alive. And, let Iola be okay_. Callie gulped. Did that count as two wishes? She hoped that she wouldn't have to choose.

Of course, Callie had asked Jeff what she should bring. She knew if she was flying somewhere that she would need some form of identification, at least. With a faint look of amusement, Jeff had commented that everything was taken care of, and that his organization knew everything about her anyway, thank you very much.

Callie had struggled with the idea of bringing a knife, or something for protection. Then again, these guys blew up cars and murdered people, so the idea of a steak knife might not exactly intimidate them. Besides, where on earth would she keep it? She then thought of her cell phone, but that was out, too. How on earth could that possibly be concealed?

Then, inspiration had dawned upon her, and she had an idea. It was simple, maybe too simple, but it was an idea, nonetheless. Flipping through her jewelry case, Callie found exactly what she was looking for. A few years ago, Frank had given her a lovely locket necklace for her birthday. Its container was fairly large, and it had small a key inside, on which Frank had inscribed "Callie- the key to my heart, always." Well, Callie surmised sadly, 'always' sometimes had a shelf limit.

Callie easily removed the key and, in its place, managed to squeeze in a small metal nail file. She realized fully that this might not do her any good, but since she could pretty much rule out anyone baking her a cake with a file in it, she decided that she just might need it. Besides, she had learned a few things from Frank and Joe, and picking locks just happened to be one of them.

The next day, Callie remembered being taken to an airport outside of Bayport. With a groan, she realized that of course she wouldn't be going on a big jet plane. In front of her sat a small Cessna, much like the ones Frank had used to take her flying on occasion. As she was about to get out of the car, she felt a sponge being placed over her mouth, and she struggled to breathe. That was the last thing she remembered until she woke up in this ... fortress, was the only word for it. Callie had never seen such a big place in her life. Naturally, she didn't get a look at the outside, but she vaguely recalled being led from room to room by different people. They must have given her some sort of drug, because she had felt hazy and weak, and had a difficult time remembering where she was going or what she did.

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As the week passed, Callie was treated reasonably well, but the uncertainty of what was to come was what really frightened her. Although the men did not harm her, she was often interrogated for hours on end, and had to sit with her back straight and her hands tied behind her back. She was asked everything under the sun about her relationship with Frank- if she kept diaries, secret places they had been to, intimate conversations, and the like. Callie had resisted giving as much information as she could, but she had to admit that this drug they had given her made it difficult to concentrate on telling lies, and hours of interrogation made her weak and disoriented. She, of course, had begged to find out about Iola, but was constantly met with grim looks or stony silence. Finally, last night-- or was it last night? Time seemed to melt away here-- Callie had been questioned relentlessly about cases of the Hardys in which she had been involved. When she had refused to answer, a nondescript man, who reminded Callie in an odd sort of way as an agent from _Men in Black_, suddenly grew menacing. He had threatened Callie, and pushed back her chair so that she had fallen and hit her head. That was the last thing that she remembered.

Struggling now, once again, to open her eyes and look around the room, Callie became startled as the doors opened. Secret agent alien man, as Callie now thought of him, untied her. Callie tried to sit up, but was overcome with weakness. It felt like her body was being weighted down by an anchor.

"Callie, dear, not feeling so well?" the man asked her, with a smug smile.

Fighting back exhaustion and fear, she managed to reply, "I'm okay, no thanks to you."

With a laugh, the man exclaimed, "My, my! You ARE a spirited one, aren't you?" and continued to smile.

All of a sudden, through the open door, Jeff entered. As disgusted as Callie was to see him, she was, in a weird way, relieved. At least now she could maybe get answers to some questions, and find out about where Iola was. If, Callie thought in sudden fear, Iola is even alive after all.

Jeff looked different from how Callie remembered him. Now, at close glance, Callie could see that he was no high school student. He looked to be in his late twenties to early thirties, at least. Also, Callie noticed, any trace of pleasantry or sympathy seemed to be gone from his face. Going over to where the other man stood, Jeff suddenly hit him in the back, making the man turn around.

"Knock it off!" Jeff shouted. Calming down, he said, "John, Callie here seems to have forgotten that she was brought here to fulfill someone's wish. In turn, she will also fulfill ours."

"Callie," he said suddenly, turning to her. "We have been most displeased at your failure to cooperate with us regarding your relationship with Frank Hardy. The drugs you have been given certainly did- shall we say- 'sway' - you into revealing some interesting information, but we really do want you to cooperate. In fact," he added, "we NEED you to cooperate. And you WILL cooperate. Because if you don't... Well, let's just say the alternative is not good."

Callie tried to stop shaking, but she couldn't seem to.

"So, to tell you just what that other alternative is, we have arranged for you to have a little meeting with someone who will be able to enlighten you as to what happens to people who don't see things our way."

Jeff yanked Callie down, and she fell to the floor. Struggling to stand, Callie never felt so weak before in her entire life. Still, she refused to let them see her cry. Jeff then led Callie through a series of hallways that Callie knew she had no chance of retracing. Unlike the room in which she was just held, these hallways were dimly lit, and all seemed to lead in opposite directions. After walking for what seemed to be forever, the two came to an isolated doorway in the back.

Whirling Callie around, and slamming her to the door, Jeff immediately got right in her face and whispered in her ear as Callie struggled against him.

"Be careful what you wish for, Callie."

With that, Callie felt herself shoved into the room and heard the door slam shut behind her. She heard a gasp, and weakly raised her head in the direction of the noise.

Callie felt her heart stop.

There, right in front of her, with a stricken look on her face, was...

Iola.


	11. Chapter 11

_Thanks, as always, if you took the time to leave a review. I appreciate it! :)_

Make a Wish

Chapter 11

Back in Bayport, Chet's news stunned everyone into silence. Well, almost everyone. As soon as Frank Hardy heard Chet's declaration, he stood up immediately and grabbed Chet by the shirt. In a voice so different from his normal soft- tone that it was barely recognizable, Frank snarled at Chet, "What do you mean you sent Callie the pictures? What are you talking about? Chet, if you hurt Callie, I'll..." Frank could barely finish his sentence, he was so blinded with fury.

"H... hold on, Frank. I can explain..." Chet gasped.

Frank, however, was not about to hear any of this. He couldn't believe what had just happened. Frank had a thousand emotions rushing through him all at once. Could Iola be alive? Was Biff telling the truth? Had Chet purposefully deceived Callie? Where was Jeff? And, above all, where was Callie? He couldn't fathom the fact that he could have let Callie suffer so much and abandoned her in her time of need. He should have known. What if she was hurt? Or worse? Frank couldn't even think about THAT. All at once, he shoved Chet to the floor, where Chet landed with a thud.

At once, Frank found himself being held back by someone. Enraged, he swung around and blindly lashed out. Joe barely dodged his brother's swing. _Great_, he thought. _Now is just the time I really want to get into a brawl with my big brother_.

"Frank," Joe gasped. "Cut it out! We need to find out what Chet is talking about! Stop it!" With that, Joe managed to grab one of Frank's arms while Biff grabbed the other. After a minute or two, Frank calmed down enough to listen.

Seething, he told Chet, "I'll listen to you, now, Chet, because I have to. For Iola. For Callie." Shoving away from Joe and Biff, Frank sat on the edge of the couch, hanging on to every word.

Joe had to admit that he was feeling much like Frank at the moment, only his reaction was more shock than anything else. He personally was more dumbfounded at Biff's story than anything else, and the hope that Iola was alive was almost more than he could bear. He was, however, incredibly curious about Chet's sudden announcement.

Helping his friend to his feet, Joe indicated to Chet, "Buddy, you better tell us what's going on. What do you know about this? What do you mean that you sent pictures of Iola to Callie? Could she be..." Joe couldn't finish the thought.

Chet, face blanched, took a gulp of air before he began. Then, in a slow voice, he managed, "No, Joe. Frank. Biff. Iola... I mean, she can't be alive. She's gone."

Chet found it difficult to continue, and Biff put his hand on his friend's shoulder. "Chet, it's okay. We all know what you went through. But you have to tell us, what did you do with Callie? Because, honestly, I think there IS something to her story, and I think she really might be in trouble."

Faltering, Chet began again. "Okay. I'll try. Well... I mean, you see...a few weeks ago I was kind of depressed. I knew that Iola's birthday was coming up, and that's always a hard time for me. It was kind of hard to concentrate, and I didn't feel like hanging out with anybody. I kind of kept to myself."

Joe sighed. Chet could prolong a story better than anyone he knew. Joe heard a rustle next to him, and caught a glimpse of Frank, who looked as if he was ready to burst. Evidently, Chet caught this as well, and decided to get to the point.

"Anyway, I was in school one day and I was by my locker, when all of a sudden Graig Saunders came up to me. He started talking, and I kind of thought he was a nice guy. I mean, he offered to buy me pizza after school, since he said I looked depressed. I figured why not? I mean," he continued with a blush, "I could always go for some good food."

_Well, THAT I believe_, Joe thought.

"So I met him. And we started talking. He told me that he had seen my last name on my locker, and wanted to know if I was related to the girl who had been... killed... in the car bomb a while ago. And, well, since I was, he started telling me a bunch of things."

Frank didn't think he could take much more of this. "What KINDS of things Chet?" he asked, mustering what was possibly his last bit of patience.

Chet continued. "Um, well, he told me a lot about Callie, and things he had heard her saying. She said... she said..." Chet seemed to be holding back his own anger. "Graig told me that Callie had been going around talking about Iola. Not only was she cheating on Frank with his cousin, but she had been talking about the day when Iola-- you know."

Chet seemed to be having a hard time, but went on. "And I got angry. Really angry. You understand, don't you, Joe?"

Joe could only stare at Chet. He was absolutely and utterly confused about what Chet could possibly say next.

"So, I asked him to tell me more about the things Callie was saying. Over the course of the next week or so, he told me how Callie had gone around saying that she was glad Iola had died instead of her. She talked about you, Joe, and how she thought that you got what you deserved because you were never faithful to my sister. She said that if she could have planned the bombing herself, she would have, since Frank never paid any attention to her, being so wrapped up in his cases. She even said that she should have faked an injury or devastation better, so that Frank would pay attention to her. Apparently, she had also gone behind Frank's back and cheated lots of times because she's a slut and..."

Frank looked like he would kill Chet. Chet, however, totally misinterpreted Frank's stupefied look of hostility to mean that Frank had supported him in his actions.

Joe, though, knew exactly what his brother was thinking, and he began to get a sinking feeling in the pit of his stomach. He needed to find out one vitally important piece of information before he could think straight, so he said to Chet, "So... where do the pictures come in?"

"Pictures? Oh, yeah," Chet answered. "Well, Graig suggested that Callie couldn't get away with the things she was doing, and that we ought to have some plan for revenge. So he helped me to think of something. We decided that maybe we should teach Callie a lesson, so we found some old pictures of Joe and Iola and got them together, and sent them to Callie, kind of like..." He paused. "Kind of like Iola was watching Callie from the grave, and that she should watch out. We just wanted to scare her."

Chet finished his story. "So, that was kind of it. We made sure the whole school knew what kind of person Callie was, and Iola, well, she helped, I like to think. I mean, I didn't want to bring her into it, but what could I do? And that's why I have no idea where Callie is now, but it's not with Iola. The whole thing was a prank. Iola's gone." Chet's last word sounded flat.

Frank could sit silent no longer. His brain had been working in overdrive. He looked at Joe. "Are you thinking what I am?" Frank managed to get out.

Joe, face pale, responded, "Yeah, bro, I think I am."

Biff looked confused, but not as confused as Chet.

Chet had to ask, "What? Are you guys mad or something? I hoped you would understand. I did this to protect you."

Joe looked at Frank. "Do you want to start, or should I?"

Frank, trying to control his breathing, responded, "No. I have this one."

Chet looked up.

"Chet, did Graig ever offer you any proof that Callie said these things?"

"Well, no, not exactly, but..."

"But what?" Frank went on, seething. "I mean, how long did you know this guy before he started talking to you about your dead sister and your good friend? A week? A few days?"

Chet tried to defend himself. "No, man, it wasn't like that..."

Joe had to jump in. "Yeah, Chet, it was. It had to be. What are the chances of a complete stranger walking up to you and starting a random conversation at exactly the moment when you were the most vulnerable? What do you really know about this guy?"

Chet was frozen. He didn't know what to say.

This time it was Frank again. "Whose idea was it to send the pictures? I could be wrong here, but you don't strike me as the kind of person to do that. It was Graig's, wasn't it?"

Silence.

"And did it ever occur to you, even once, to ask WHY exactly Graig would be bad-mouthing Callie and saying what a horrible person she was when she was supposedly dating his own cousin?"

More silence.

"And," Joe interjected, "Did you ever once ask Graig where he was from? Or how he had heard about Iola? Or why he would know that Iola and I even dated?"

Chet continued to stare, the implications of his friends' words finally beginning to sink in.

Frank, who looked like he was holding back tears, then asked the central question. "Chet. You said you gave pictures to Callie of Joe and Iola. How many?"

Chet paused. Clearing his throat, he mumbled, "I dunno. Like somewhere between seven and ten, maybe." Looking up, he asked, simply, "Why?"

"Because," Biff chimed in, suddenly seeing the light, "If Callie is telling the truth, she said that she had a picture of Iola dated only a few weeks ago. You never gave Graig a recent photo, did you?"

Chet shook his head no.

"And you never wrote captions or a letter to Callie, did you?" Frank added.

Again, Chet could only shake his head.

Joe finished this out. "And," he sighed, "I bet Graig was in charge of getting the pictures to Callie, wasn't he?"

Chet, face blanched, squeaked out, "Yeah. And that means... "

"Yeah," said Frank. "It means Callie was telling the truth. Whether or not Iola is alive or not, Callie is in serious danger. And, the Assassins are somehow involved. And..."

"And," Joe finished, barely managing to say the words he was afraid to utter, "It means that there is a chance, however miniscule, that Iola really might be alive. And I intend to find out."

Frank lost it at that point. Face red, he slammed his fist into the door. Joe was shocked. Frank never lost his cool, but he watched his brother unravel right in front of him.

"Chet! How could you?! Callie has been nothing but a loyal and good friend to you for all these years! How you take a total stranger's word over hers? Callie loved Iola, Chet. She'd never hurt her. Oh, God." Frank put his head in his hands, and suddenly walked out the front door. Joe followed quickly behind, his own mind a whirl of emotions.

Joe saw the look of horror on his brother's face. He noticed Frank's bottom lip quiver, and how his hands were clenched into fists tightly. Joe felt ill at ease. Frank was normally the one to calm him down, to offer support and advice. But Joe knew what it was like to feel utterly helpless, and he knew he had to say something. Frank, though, beat him to the punch.

"Joe," he said softly, "The question isn't how could Chet have done this to Callie. How could I?"

Seeing the pain in his brother's eyes, Joe met Frank's stare.

"Frank, I don't know. But right now, I think we have a lot more to worry about than owing Callie an apology. I think we need to save her life. And," Joe paused, resolved. "We need to save Iola's. Because I promised myself a long time ago that if there was ever any chance to find her, if she was ever alive..."

Frank, suddenly jolted back to reality by the vacant look he had seen in his brother's eyes before on this very same topic, stopped his brother.

"We leave tonight then, for Lazarus. I'll bet that Graig Saunders isn't around here any more. For Callie. And for Iola. And for a chance at saving ourselves from living in this hell of guilt. If they're alive, Joe, we'll find them. I promise. If ever I wished for something, this is it."

"To making wishes come true," Joe responded.

The two brothers clasped hands on the deal.


	12. Chapter 12

_A/N: Sorry I didn't post yesterday-- I had a house full of company. Thank you so much for your reviews- I'll get to each of you individually soon! _

Make a Wish

Chapter 12

Callie Shaw froze. Right in front of her, and looking down at her in horror, was Iola Morton. Callie thought that she would pass out, right there and then. It was like looking at a ghost. In one instant, Callie wanted to run to her friend and hug her, run in the opposite direction as fast as she could, and clear her mind to make sure she wasn't really going crazy. But, she did none of these. Weakened by drugs and terrible treatment, Callie could only freeze. She had never felt so shocked in her entire life. She knew she had to make a move, but she had no idea what to do.

Fortunately, Callie didn't have to make the first move, because the next thing she knew, Iola was on the floor behind her. Wrapping her arms around Callie, Iola only whispered, "Oh, God. You, too. They got you too. What will we do?"

Callie couldn't control her shaking, but she managed somehow to back away from her friend. Trying to clear her mind, Callie could only stare at Iola for a moment. Then in a voice that was far more unsteady than Callie would have liked, she managed, "Iola? Is it you? It can't be. You're gone. What's happening?" Trembling, Callie could only think to herself that she was losing her mind.

Iola had a pained look on her face. Actually, if Callie could read her right, it was somewhere between horror, awe, and hope. Iola reached out to her friend, but stopped immediately when she saw how terrified Callie looked. Slowly, she began.

"Callie? Gosh, you look so beautiful. I... I started to forget what everyone looked like. How...how are my mom and dad? And Chet? And…and Joe? Do they know I'm here? Are they still looking for me? How'd you get here? What have you been doing? Can you help? Oh, Callie. I'm afraid you're stuck here forever like me, too." Iola, stammering these words, finally broke down in tears.

Callie tried to regain some of her composure. _Be calm_, she told herself. _Sure, you're talking to a ghost_. No. Actually, she wasn't. She was either in the presence of the real Iola Morton, or someone who sure did look and sound a lot like her. Trying not to focus on the sobbing girl in front of her, Callie attempted to think of what Frank had told her once about clones. She knew that the people who worked for these terrorists were pretty good at making doubles of people. Unluckily for her, Frank had never shared a lot of information on those cases with her, so Callie had to rely on her own judgment, which, she had to admit, had definitely seen better times. But, she had come an awfully long way and had endured a lot not to find out the truth. Taking a shaky breath, Callie addressed Iola.

"Iola? Iola, please. Don't cry. I need to know some things. If… if you're YOU, then I'm here to help, if I can. Where have you been? What's happened?" she asked.

Seeing that the girl in front of her had finally looked up and met her eyes, Callie felt her own tears welling. _No time for that now_, she thought, and fought back the tears. "If you're Iola, God... there's so much I need to say. If you're someone else, then you already have what you want. It's not a secret. I'm scared to death. PLEASE don't do this to me any more."

The girl looked up at Callie, and then covered her mouth with one hand. Callie shuddered. Iola used to do that all the time at the horror movies that Joe had subjected them both to. This girl looked so much like Iola. Callie felt chills running down her spine. How terribly eerie this was.

"Cal, it's me. It really is." Iola spoke in soft tone, as she usually had. Her words, though, were clipped. "I can't expect you to believe me, Callie. Twice before I've been used to get at Frank and Joe, and they keep me around here just in case they need me again. JUST IN CASE. Can you imagine? Living your own life- if you can call it that- JUST IN CASE you're needed. It's hell, Callie."

Callie looked at Iola. She was stunned. Never before had she had so many unanswered questions, but in this moment, she couldn't think of a single one. She just stood there, transfixed.

Iola looked so frail. Callie couldn't help but notice that although she was as cute as ever, she looked thin and stressed out. Her face, as Callie could remember it, had always been carefree and happy. No laughter lines now existed around her mouth, and her eyes had a deadened quality to them.

Iola continued. "I know you probably have so many things you want to ask, but I can't answer everything. I simply can't rehash all the horror that I've seen here. I hope you can understand, Callie. It's something no one should ever have to go through. And I survive, day by day, thinking of that day, and not of the past. For me, there is no longer any future. I can't hope. Can you imagine? Is there anything worse than living life without hope? That is my life."

Callie looked down. She had recently felt the same way, and she had to agree; without hope, there was nothing.

"But... HOW, Iola?" Callie cut in. "I want to believe you. Please, know that. Because if you're not real, then I think I just traded my life for a lie. How... where..." Callie could barely get out the words.

Iola looked pained, but she managed to go on. "That day... when we all went to the mall... Joe got me so angry! I can't believe that he had left me for another girl. I think about that time a lot." She paused. "Anyway, I went to the car, and all of a sudden someone grabbed me. I felt a hand over my mouth. I couldn't scream. I was terrified. Less than 10 seconds later, I'd say, I was dragged away and I heard a loud explosion. The heat, Callie. It was so intense..."

Callie nodded slowly. She remembered all too well the incident.

"Then, somehow, I wound up here. It's not just me, either, Callie. There's a group of us; the "Collateral's" they like to call us. These people are dangerous, Cal. They keep people who may aid them in getting revenge on people who have done them wrong. In one guy's case, he's here because of his dad, a police officer. In my case, I'm here because of the Hardys'. They keep us separated for the most part, but they do let us get together every once in a while. They don't like the idea of us talking, because they think we'd try to plan to escape."

Iola took a deep breath. "And we did try to escape. But it's no use. This building has guards, and top -notch security. There are cameras everywhere. And, even if we did escape, we're surrounded by nothingness; we're in the middle of nowhere. Where could we go? What could we do? How could we survive?" Iola choked back a sob. "And if they catch you, they... well, oh, Callie- it's just terrible!"

Callie slowly found herself believing the story, as outrageous as it was. "Oh, Iola..." she muttered. Then, looking at her friend, she whispered, "I do believe you."

Iola started to cry, and the two girls embraced. Finally, Iola broke away. "Cal, I... I'm so happy. I mean, not for you, but for me. I never thought I'd make contact with anyone again."

She continued. "Cal, I don't know what they've done to you, but worse can only be coming. Do you know they had my diary? And my personal belongings? They interview you for hours on end, trying to brainwash people into torturing the Hardys. That stupid girl-- Val, was her name?-- worked for them. That's how they knew Joe would get distracted and I would be the one to get taken, not you. But now they have us both! What will we do?"

She went on, aching in her voice. "Do you know one time, Frank and Joe were here? They tried to get a "clone" to mentally torture Joe, and she did, later. But you know what? Callie, it was ME who talked to Joe. It WAS. There's no way they could make someone remember all of the intimate details from our relationship. I wanted to hold him so much, and I need him to help me escape. But... he left here, thinking he was fooled the whole time. He wasn't. And here I am still."

"How... well, how is everything?" Iola asked, hesitantly.

Callie had to vaguely smile before she spoke. "Iola, I can't exactly tell you everything that's happened over the past year or so, but I can try to fill you in as much as possible."

With that, Callie began a tale that had Iola so engrossed Callie felt like she was a movie star. But, she reminded herself, this was real life, and there was no happy ending in sight. She told Iola about school, her family, Frank and Joe, and her friends. She recounted the horror of Iola's memorial service, and Joe's reaction to it. She recalled as much as she could, leaving out only two things; the last month, and Vanessa. Oh, lord. THAT was another issue. Callie, though, saw no reason to upset her friend, especially when it didn't look like they were leaving anytime soon.

Iola laughed and cried throughout Callie's story. Finally, she said, "Even if we can't get out Callie, you've made a wish come true. You've shown me that ... no. That's wrong. You've given me hope."

Callie hugged her friend. "We'll get out of this, Iola. We will."

As Callie was about to look at the doorway from which she just come, she was suddenly overcome by intense pain through her side. Crying out, she clasped her hands around her stomach and keeled over. Iola, who was standing next to her, grabbed her and helped her to the floor.

"Callie?! What is it? What's the matter?"

Callie couldn't answer. She found it hard to breathe, and she was suddenly intensely cold and nauseated. Closing her eyes, Callie tried to breathe slowly, but it hurt so much...

All at once, the doorway opened. In stepped a man who Callie barely recognized. But she did. It was "Jeff."

Weakly, she looked up, as Iola held onto her.

"Well, girls, guess what?" he smirked. "It's touching to see your reunion here, but we have some news for you. Our sources tell us that we'll be having company soon. It seems your two men have decided that they know how to find you, and are on their way. So, we've arranged for them to have a special surprise."

Callie groaned, but managed to try to listen. Iola just looked up, shocked.

"You see, girls, we encourage you to go and greet your men after their long trip. You're free to go."

The girls froze.

"There is a catch, however. You see, first you must find them. That may be a bit of a challenge because we're really isolated here, as you may have heard. So, you'll probably have to endure some harsh weather, bad terrain, and animals. _Wild_ animals. Oh, and the traps we've set to catch them. They're all over. Plus, there is the problem of food and water. But, let's just say you get past all that."

Iola, shaking, said, "Yeah. Let's just say."

"Well, then", Jeff went on, "when you meet your friends, you'll have one more little problem to face. You see, your friend Callie here has been injected with a kind of drug that's effects grow more severe as time progresses. Side effects tend to come and go, but slowly, the nervous system breaks down, causing severe muscle spasms- you know, as well as coldness, blinding headaches, and difficulty breathing. It's quite a unique thing, really."

Callie stared up in horror as the pain gradually subsided. Weakened, she lay back against the wall. Iola started to cry.

"And finally, if you do meet your men, you may want to inform them that they should take a special trip back here where there is the only known remedy for Callie's little problem. And this better be fast."

With a shudder, Iola managed, "Why?"

"Because in 10 days Callie will be dead."

With that, he opened the doorway to the back and shoved both girls out.

"I wish you the best," he smiled, and left.

The girls were on their own.


	13. Chapter 13

_Thanks to Missme113 and Twisp for your reviews on the last chapter. I hope that anyone who is reading the story is enjoying it! BTW— there are many references to __Dead on Target __and other cases in the format of the original Casefiles series, which is how I started my fan-fiction writing career! :)_

Make a Wish

Chapter 13

Less than 24 hours later, Frank and Joe Hardy pulled unto the beginning of a very long driveway that they had visited too many times before. Other than the slight hum of the radio in the car, both boys were silent.

Frank, sitting behind the wheel, pushed back his dark, wavy brown hair and let out a soft sigh. He couldn't believe that any of this was really happening. Could Iola really be alive? And, if she wasn't, could Joe handle the disappointment? Frank couldn't even imagine -- sometimes, not knowing was the worst thing of all. Even more on his mind, though, was Callie. The thought that something may have happened to her was almost too much for him to bear. Each time he thought of her, he felt a lump rise in his throat and, he realized, he had held back more tears in the last few weeks than he had ever done in his life. He needed to find her. His own guilt was paralyzing him. How could he have sacrificed almost four years of a relationship and not realized how much torment Callie had been going through? Shaking his head to snap himself out of this reverie, Frank could only think of finding Callie. Once that was done, he knew he would never let her go again. If, he thought miserably, she gave him another chance.

Joe, meanwhile, was lost in thoughts of his own. Each time he thought about Iola, which really was all of the time, he felt his heart race. If she was alive, and, Joe had to admit, that was a big IF, where had she been for all this time? Would she be okay? Would she still love him? That was the question that weighed heavily on his mind. After all, the last time had seen her, he had been quite a jerk, flirting with that Valerie girl. He knew he couldn't be fooled by 'clones' or cosmetic enhancements any more. There had to be a way of telling the truth.

Joe also thought about Chet and Callie. As horribly as Chet had acted, he really couldn't say that he wouldn't have acted the same under the same circumstances. His stomach turned as he thought about that. After all, he had played his own role in Callie's disappearance.

For all of the arguments through the years that he and Callie had gotten into, Joe had to admit there were a lot of laughs and good times as well. He did like Callie, although he thought she was too opinionated and outspoken sometimes. Maybe, though, that was because Callie was right. Maybe he was sexist… or at least a bit too macho. More than anything, though, he knew that Callie really loved his brother, and that Frank was pretty crazy about her as well. She and Frank had been a couple, but best friends as well, for years. Joe had to admit THAT was pretty special. Callie wasn't so bad- -after all, she was a lot like Vanessa.

With a groan, Joe realized that Vanessa was a huge issue here, no matter what the outcome. Slowly, Joe reached for the chain that hung around his neck that held the melted keys from the car the day Iola had died. He wished desperately upon them that she was alive, at the same time thinking of Vanessa, blissfully unaware of any of this.

"Well, here we are," Joe heard his brother say.

Right in front of them stood the Lazarus mansion. To Joe, the mansion looked as ominous as ever. He saw that it had been fixed up since the last time he had been there, when the home had been turned into a blaze of fire. Curious, he stepped out of the car. He couldn't wait to get a look inside.

Frank, though, appeared to take his time, as though he was searching for something. Joe tapped his foot impatiently. Frank continued looking through the trunk. Unsatisfied, Joe then began popping bubbles, each one cracking a little louder than the next. Still, Frank continued looking. Joe, never a patient person, finally began to honk the car to some beat he knew. Finally, Frank seemed to have found what he was looking for, and stared at his brother in annoyance.

"Are you finished yet?" Frank asked.

"I was going to ask you the same thing," Joe countered.

"Well, just in case we wanted to be discreet, I think you just sent out a formal announcement that we're here," Frank said, sighing in exasperation.

"Oh, come on, Frank. Lighten up. I don't see anyone here, do you? Anyway, what were you looking for?" Joe replied, equally exasperated.

"A flashlight."

"I could've seen."

"With what? Your x-ray vision? And Joe?"

"Yeah?"

"Doesn't it concern you in the least that you DON"T see anybody?" Frank finally pointed out.

Joe had to admit he hadn't thought of that. But, he wasn't going to wait around all day and trade quips with his brother when there was potentially some very serious work to be done.

"Let's go," he finally said.

As the boys approached the front door, Joe was about to knock.

Frank immediately caught his hand.

"WHAT are you doing?" he asked incredulously. Sometimes, Frank appreciated his brother's spontaneity. Now was not one of those times. "You might as well say, 'Kill me please- I'm standing right here'. Think sometimes!"

Joe blushed. "Well... Oh, come on!" he said, and shoved the door open. Much as he had suspected, the mansion appeared empty.

"I guess we better split up," Joe said to Frank.

Frank hesitated.

"What's the matter now?" Joe asked. There were times Joe wondered how he and Frank were even related.

Frank was thinking the same thing. However, he turned to his brother and said, "Joe, you know, the last time I was here, you weren't with me. Remember our case, _Dead of Night_? Well, Callie said the same thing you just said to me. The next thing I knew, I thought she was dead when some pendulum came and appeared to cut her in half." He shuddered. "Thank God that turned out to not be real, but I just think we ought to stick together on this one. Okay?"

Joe sighed. Yeah, he remembered that case, all right. Yet another time he began to believe that Iola had been alive. Joe was about to argue with Frank, but when he saw the look of sadness and concern on his face, he decided to give in. Besides, he could always use the backup.

With that, the brothers began a long search of the mansion, covering room by room.

At the end of an hour's time, the found themselves back at the entry way.

Although both boys physically looked different, they now wore identical expressions on their faces, ones of shock and disappointment.

The mansion was empty. Callie and Iola were gone.

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Meanwhile, Callie and Iola were struggling to find their way to some form of rescue. They had tried to remain in high spirits, although certainly there was nothing to be remotely happy about. About two days had passed, and both girls were tired, hungry, and rapidly losing hope. To Iola, each moment held amazement, for it had been a long, long time since she had been outside and free. She had almost forgotten what that word meant.

Callie, on the other hand, was trying as hard as she could to think of some way to go that would get them somewhere, and fast. She had managed to hide it from Iola pretty well, but when they stopped to rest, Callie often felt pain throughout her body that seemed to grow increasingly worse each time. She felt incredibly weak, and found her hands shaking. Knowing how dire this situation was, she couldn't concentrate on the fact that she could literally be dying, or she knew she would break down. On the other hand, she didn't know how much longer she could go on without slowing Iola terribly. All she knew was that she had to find a way out of here.

"Iola?" she said, causing her friend to turn around.

"Are you okay, Callie?" Iola asked.

Callie had to smile at that one. "Well, all things considered..."

Iola looked concerned.

"Iola," Callie began. "I think we need a game plan here. Let's face it. We have no idea where we are. I have an idea, although it is kind of dangerous. But... I think it's our only hope. I think we need to go back to the mansion, and find a road or something that leads up to it. I mean, we had to get there someway, and that means that we can follow that back and hope, above anything, that it leads to somewhere concrete. Either that, or we have to find a stream. Like a road, that has to lead somewhere. And, well, we could use some water." Callie was suddenly taken by how susceptible to harm they were. There they were, two young girls dressed only in gray sweat-suits, with nothing to protect them against whatever might be out there. She held back tears.

Iola sighed. Callie was right. She was starving, and at this point, she was pretty much willing to do whatever it took to live. "You're right, Cal. Let's go," she answered in reply.

As the girls traveled, Iola stopped for a moment to pick at some berries on a tree. As she was about to swallow them, Callie suddenly reached out and smacked them out of her hand.

"What are you doing?!" Iola asked angrily.

"Those could be poisonous."

"Well, you know what, Cal? I'm pretty much willing to take that risk now. The current alternative isn't so appealing, is it?" Iola snapped back.

Seeing the look on her friend's face, Iola immediately felt badly. "I'm sorry. I'm just getting agitated, that's all. I'm hungry. I'm tired. I don't even know if we're headed in the right direction. Gosh, I wish we would have left crumbs or something as a landmark back to the house, like in Hanzel and Gretal or something."

At that. Callie started to laugh. She didn't know if it was out of delirium, weakness, or the lack of anything funny thus far, but she actually had to sit down to calm herself. Iola just stared at her, which made Callie laugh even harder.

"I... I'm sorry, Iola, " she gasped, wiping the tears from her eyes. "That was too much! If we did that, first we'd leave a trail right for the bad guys, or any wild animals that just so happened to want to follow us. Two, I personally, at this point, would have eaten anything with crumbs, wouldn't you?" She smiled.

Iola laughed, too. Callie had been such a rock for her so far. She was right. The idea was crazy.

Putting an arm around her friend's shoulders, they continued to work their way back towards the mansion. At long last, they saw it in the horizon.

Although it was getting dark, the girls decided to follow the road from the house, but at a distance, running parallel to it. All they needed was for guards or other people to find them and shoot them. And so, they walked. And they walked. And they walked.

"Cal!!" Iola called out. Callie stopped. "I think I found something! Maybe it's an outlet!"

Hurriedly, the girls rushed over, chattering in excitement.

Then, all at once, they stopped talking, and all color drained from their faces.

After hours of walking, there was simply a swamp in front of them.

They had reached a dead end.


	14. Chapter 14

_Thanks so much for the reviews, as usual! They always make me smile. This chapter is a bit shorter than others, but I shall continue to post every day! :)_

Make a Wish

Chapter 14

Joe, sitting back in the brothers' rental car for a moment, looked totally and utterly defeated. Okay, so the girls weren't there. Where were they? He had been on wild goose chases before, but for nothing as important as this. For the first time in a long time, he had absolutely no idea what to do.

Frank, on the other had, wasn't about to give up so easily. Looking in through the window, he motioned for Joe to roll it down. "Come on," he said.

"Where to?"

"Let's check out back. There's always the possibility that we missed something. We didn't come all this way to give up."

Joe got out of the car, and followed his brother. He liked this never say die attitude of Frank's. With a gulp, he hoped that idea was true. This time, the brothers did decide to split up. It was getting late, and they wanted to cover as much ground-- literally-- as they could, before it became impossible for them to go on.

Joe re-entered the mansion, while Frank decided to check the grounds. As Joe looked around again, he was suddenly hit by a wave of sadness. The last time he was here, how much hope he had had that Iola was alive! Now, again, his heart seemed to be empty as he sensed disappointment coming to him.

About fifteen minutes later, Joe was about to give up, when, all of a sudden, he heard his brother call from the distance.

"Joe! Joe! Come over here now! Hurry up!"

Sprinting, Joe ran over to catch up to his brother, who was considerably further up in the field.

"What's the matter?" Joe sputtered, trying to catch his breath. _I should've worked harder on those laps in practice_, he surmised.

Frank, with a look of hope crossing his face, pointed in the distance.

"Joe? Do you see what I see?" he asked, excitedly.

Joe squinted. At first, he didn't see anything. But, as his eyes adjusted to the fading light, he suddenly saw what Frank was referring to. Way down the hill, in the far distance, so far, in fact, that it looked like a miniature doll-house, was what appeared to be a mansion of some sort.

"Wow!" Joe exclaimed. "How'd we miss that?!"

"Well, last time we were here, I guess we were so occupied with what was going on over here that there was really no need to look elsewhere. But... Joe, we have to check it out! This could be it."

Joe couldn't agree more. Heart pounding, Joe ran back to the car and jumped in the driver's side, Frank was right behind him. Slamming the doors shut, both boys sped off towards the house they had just seen.

When they were within about 100 yards of the mansion, Frank quickly hissed to Joe, "Kill the engine and the lights." Joe did so, and pulled the car over into a ditch on the side of the road. Even at this distance, both boys could see that that there was some activity going on inside. Here were lights, and although they were dim, clearly there were people inside. Add that to the numerous cars in the driveway, and the brothers began to get excited that finally something seemed to be happening.

Joe was awestruck at the size of this fortress, which had looked so small in the distance.. It dwarfed the other mansion and seemed to go on forever. Also, unlike the other mansion, this one seemed to be heavily fortified. A quick glance could testify to the fact that there was barbed wire, surveillance cameras, and fencing surrounding the area. This was not going to be easy.

The brothers looked at each other. "This could be pretty dangerous, Joe. Maybe you should stay here."

"Are you crazy?" Joe responded. "We're in this together."

With that, the boys worked their way slowly towards the first fence. Even though it was fairly dark now, Joe was contemplating how to scale the fence and manage to get through the barbed wire without looking like he had been through an attack by a tiger.

As he was looking, he suddenly heard Frank say, "Are you coming? Any day now."

Joe looked down in amazement. Frank had managed to cut through the fence with some gadget that he had apparently taken from home. Shaking his head, he ducked under the fence, and smiled. Good old Frank.

Slowly, and very cautiously, the boys finally approached one of the walls in the front of the house.

"I think we need to go for one of the side walls further down," Frank whispered. "It'll be less obvious. Remember, no matter what you do, be quiet."

Joe followed Frank through bushes, thorns, and around tress with sharp bark. So much for not looking like he'd been mauled by a wild animal! He didn't see why they couldn't just walk up to the house, but, of course, Frank had to go over and around a problem, and not right through it. Joe sighed loudly.

"Shhhhh!" he heard Frank say in front of him.

Shaking his head, Joe followed.

Finally, they came to a wall with a high window. Unfortunately, it had bars across it. They had to keep walking until they found a very high wall with a series of windows. Way up top, the windows appeared to be slightly open and without bars.

Taking a quiet, low breath, Frank mouthed to his brother, "Do you think you can scale it?"

Well, it wasn't quite the rock -climbing wall he had done at Great Adventure, but Joe thought he could give it a try. He nodded to Frank, who said quietly, "I'm right behind you."

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxoooooooooooooooooxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxoooooooxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

However, as Joe was about to start the climb, he felt an itching right under his nose. _Oh, no. Allergies_. Trying to fight back a sneeze, Joe squeezed his eyes shut and scrunched his nose. He counted to ten and felt his eyes water. Frank, directly next to him, looked at his brother impatiently waiting for him to climb, when all of a sudden, a loud, "A- A- A CHOOO!!" reverberated through the air, followed by another, and still another.

As Frank shook his head in amazement at Joe's timing, he suddenly heard a series of footsteps behind him. Turning around, Frank saw three rather large men who were about to attack him. Throwing out his right arm in a karate move he knew as instinct, Frank was able to thwart one man's attempt to grab him.

Joe, seeing a goon right behind his brother, lashed out with a left uppercut and caught the man right under his chin. Much to Joe's dismay, this only seemed to get the man angrier, and not send him down. The two brothers fought off the men as well as they could, and may just have beaten them had not an unfortunate incident happened.

The boys heard what sounded like animals rushing towards them. Only, it wasn't animals. Looking up for an instant, Frank and Joe realized that they were surrounded by bad guys—a lot of them. Over a dozen of them stood there, dressed in suits, with Uzi's and submachine guns pointed at them.

Frank and Joe looked at each other. Slowly, they raised their hands in the air.

They were caught.


	15. Chapter 15

_As always, thank you so much for any reviews and feedback! I decided to post 2 chapters today... just because! :)_

Make a Wish

Chapter 15

Callie and Iola looked at each other wearily the next morning. They had traveled so far, and seemingly in circles.

"I feel like I'm in the middle of the _Blair Witch Project_," Callie said to Iola.

"The what?" Iola asked.

Callie sighed. That's right. Iola had died-- well, they thought she had-- before she ever would have heard of that movie.

"Never mind," Callie sighed dejectedly. "It's just a movie where people are trapped in the woods and they can't get out and they go in circles."

"Did it end happily?" Iola wanted to know.

"Um, well, one kid disappears and then they all die, so ... no," Callie managed weakly.

"Glad I asked," Iola responded, equally dryly.

"Mmmm Hmmm."

Both girls were beginning to lose hope rapidly. Minutes turned into hours and hours turned into days. Callie and Iola had been lost, desperately searching for some hope of rescue, or of finding Frank and Joe, for almost four days. Somehow, they had managed to survive on berries and nuts, and had drunk as much water as they could find from little puddles here and there. They didn't even bother to think of how terrible they looked, or of how potentially unsanitary these conditions were. All they wanted was to go home.

The girls managed to double back yet again to the mansion. From their vantage point on the hill, they could see that there were many roads that led up to the mansion; many of them were probably traps and dead ends, as they had discovered before.

What they could not see, however, was a parked car not fifty feet from where they were standing. If they could have seen it, they would have noticed not only a safe hiding place and a getaway vehicle, but many of their boyfriends' personal detecting items.

Luck, however, had not favored them thus far, and they continued up a hill, the whole time keeping the mansion in sight, although they stayed far enough away to avoid capture.

By the middle of the afternoon, it became blazing hot. The girls tried to think of something, but no ideas were coming to them. Sitting down, they closed their eyes and rested. Iola felt that she had been sleeping for a while when she woke up to the sounds of deep moaning.

Looking around her somewhat in a daze, Iola realized that it was Callie who was trying to hold back from crying out in pain. Leaping up, Iola ran over to Callie and rubbed her back gently, while she held her hand. Iola felt tears slipping down her cheeks. Callie had been so brave; she had risked her own life to save Iola, and not once had she complained. Callie made it easy for Iola to forget that she was living out the end part of a death sentence.

"Are you okay?" Iola asked gently, realizing as she said it how silly that sounded.

Of course Callie wasn't okay. Her face was dead white, she was shivering, and clearly, she was in a great deal of pain. With a gulp, Iola realized that Callie would only get worse in the following days, and that they had to stop wasting time, because time was one option Callie Shaw did not have.

"Callie?" Iola asked again.

Callie managed to look up. The pain had subsided to a gradual throb from a shooting sensation, but it now seemed constant. Using all of her energy, Callie sat up, and tried to get her breathing under control. She weakly wiped the sweat from her forehead. In a whisper, she tried to joke with Iola.

"I could go for a shower right about now," Callie whispered.

Iola did not find it funny.

"Callie Shaw. We have only one option," Iola said, tears starting to fall again. "I don't care how long I've been here. I don't care that I would have spent the rest of my days probably locked up waiting to serve someone else's purpose. I can suffer any of that, Callie, but I will NOT be responsible for the death of my friend. And you are that friend."

Callie tried to comfort Iola, but she barely had the energy.

"So, this is what we're going to do. Ready?" Iola inquired.

"What's that?" Callie responded quietly.

"We are going to go back to the clinic, and we will beg for re-admittance. I'll promise to do whatever it takes to please them, and if that means harming Frank and Joe, that's what I'll tell them I'll do."

"No!" Callie's voice shook. "Iola, that's crazy. You can make it. You can get out of here. Leave me behind-- it's your only chance. You know you'd never harm Joe-- or Frank, for that matter. You're being crazy. You have to leave me. Now."

"No- -I will go back, Callie. I won't have you die. I'll get the remedy. You'll be okay," Iola insisted, trying to convince herself of the veracity of her words.

Callie, eyes wide for the first time in days, responded weakly, "Iola, it's a death sentence to go back there."

"Well, you're living one now."

Callie couldn't respond.

"So, I will go back there. But maybe you're right. They'd just keep me there and let you-- die." Iola gulped. "I have to sneak in. I'll find the remedy. I will, I swear to you. And then I'll take care of you until you're better, and then we can escape. Will you be okay here? I promise-- I'll be back as fast as I can."

Callie closed her eyes. It all sounded so nice. Iola would conveniently come back, give her the much needed medicine, and then they'd relax for a while before heading out and going home. And sure, she'd be nice and safe here, in the middle of the woods, with no protection, her own body turning against her. And yet Callie could not break Iola's dream, as unrealistic as it was. She knew that if she was left alone, she probably would die. She also knew that Iola's chances of making it back to the mansion alone, and being successful, were almost none. However, Callie realized that she was too weak at this point to be of any help to Iola, and that Iola had to do whatever was necessary to save herself. That was all Callie could hope for now.

So, speaking in a gentle tone, she said to Iola, "Sure. Sure. You go ahead. I'll be fine. And I'll wait for you. Here. Sure. Go. Everything will be all right. Be careful."

She added quickly, as an idea hit her, "Take this." She handed Iola her necklace. "Frank gave this to me once. It has a really sharp nail file in it. Just in case."

"Frank gave you a nail file?"

"Something like that, " Callie responded. "Use it for protection. Like a knife."

Iola, leaning over to hug Callie, took the necklace, and gave her a quick kiss on the cheek. "You saved my life. Now I have to save yours. I'll be back. Just keep wishing, and hoping, and praying, that it's quickly."

And with that, Iola turned and left.

Callie was alone.


	16. Chapter 16

_As promised..._

Make a Wish

Chapter 16

Frank and Joe, meanwhile, found themselves inside the mansion that, only a few minutes earlier, they had tried to sneak into. After being led by a series of men with guns through various twisting and turning hallways, they soon were led into a dimly lit room. Minutes later, both brothers were tied tightly to chairs, arms behind their backs. The last words they heard came from one of the biggest men in the group, who had grinned contemptuously at them, and said, "Welcome, Hardys. We've been expecting you. Make yourselves at home." With that, he had left.

For a minute, the brothers sat in silence. The, Joe decided to break the ice.

"Well, Frank, there is one bright side to this," he quipped, trying to find some light in the otherwise hopeless siutuation.

Frank, hoping to hear that Joe had managed to keep his fists, and thus the ropes, loose, listened expectantly. "Oh yeah? What's that?"

"At least we're inside the mansion now."

"Joe, I swear to God, if I could smack you right now, I would." Frank answered. He wasn't in the mood for joking.

"What're you yelling at ME for? It was YOUR bright idea to try and get up to the highest window," Joe shot back.

"You have GOT to be kidding me," Frank responded, astounded.

"No, seriously. I think you owe me an apology," Joe answered in reply.

With that, Frank kicked back as hard as he could and managed to hit Joe in the side of the calf.

"OOOWWW!!" Joe bellowed.

"Good! I think it was YOU who beeped the car horn, YOU who made a racket getting here, YOU who sneezed, YOU who..." Frank began, before being cut off by his brother.

"That's a soft drink."

"What?!"

"Get it? You who?"

"Joe!!" Frank bellowed. "How can you find this remotely funny? We have to get out of here. Can you please stop being an idiot, for like 10 minutes, and help me out here, and then you can do whatever you want. I'll even leave you alone, okay? It was getting to be time for a new brother anyway."

Joe sighed. "All right. Give me a minute."

"I'm waiting."

"I'm thinking."

"First time for everything."

"Frank, shut up. Let's just look around the room. Can you move your arms?" Joe asked, deciding to be practical.

"No. You?"

"No."

"Okay, well, that's option's out."

Frank sighed loudly.

"I'm just using my powers of deduction," Joe added lightly, all the while trying to think of every option to loosen the ropes around him.

"Okay, Sherlock. Can you see over there?" Frank finally asked.

"Where?"

"There."

"Yeah."

Over on the side of the door, there was a brief hint of light that seemed to be coming from a small window or vent.

Joe asked, "By the side of the door, right?"

"Yes. Over there. Under the doorknob," Frank pointed out.

This was becoming a horrible comedy routine. Joe was about to issue a wisecrack back when, all of a sudden, the door creaked slowly open. In came Jeff Wellington, along with a group of three other men. Frank and Joe immediately became serious.

Upon seeing Jeff, Joe felt his brother's body tense and, although he couldn't see him since their backs were against each other, Joe knew exactly the look that would be on Frank's face. As they looked up at Jeff, Joe knew that somehow he had to try to loosen these ropes. He had tried to keep his wrists apart when they were being tied up, but these guys were pros. Joe could barely move a muscle. With an inward groan, Joe realized that he and Frank were at the mercy of these creeps. And he didn't like it. One bit.

"Well, well. If it isn't Frank and Joe Hardy," Jeff began with a smile. "It's been a while since I've last seen you two."

"Where's Callie?!" Frank shouted.

_Well_, Joe thought, _that's direct_.

"Callie?" asked Jeff, slowly, as if trying to remember. "Oh, yes. Callie Shaw. Now I remember. The girl who left you for me, right?" Jeff chuckled as he addressed the comment to Frank.

Frank, trying to control himself, took a deep breath. "Look, Jeff. Clearly, you have me now. And my brother. We know you're part of the Assassins. Play fair, man. Let Callie go. I'll do whatever you want."

Jeff burst out laughing. "I don't think you're in the position to compromise, Mr. Hardy. You see, we have you both now. And we have Ms. Shaw. Or- well, we HAD her. And, shall I mention, Ms. Morton? Come now. You know this. That's why you're here, isn't it?"

Joe felt his heart stop. _Oh, God._ Maybe it was true. Maybe Iola WAS alive. Joe had to find out. Looking up at Jeff, Joe noticed that he looked a lot older than the last time he remembered seeing him. _Duh_, he thought. _I should've caught that one earlier_.

Clearing his throat, Joe managed, "Iola? Tell me now. I have to know. That's all I want. Tell me the truth, and you can do whatever you want."

Again, Jeff smiled. "Ah, Joseph. It has been a great deal of fun toying with you over the past year or so. I mean, first she's dead, then she's alive, then she's dead again, now... is she alive? Makes one wonder what's real and what's not, doesn't it?"

Joe struggled against his ropes. To say he was feeling rage would have been an understatement.

"You slimy..."

"Oh, hush, Joseph. There's no need for name-calling. Besides, I have a gift for you."

Frank and Joe stared at Jeff. Both were lost in their own thoughts. Frank, thinking desperately of Callie, and Joe, thinking of Iola, knew that somehow, someway, they needed to get out of there. And fast.

"Smile boys," Jeff said pleasantly.

With that, a series of bright lights flashed through the room.

Frank and Joe had to blink to try and get the dots away from their eyes, and to have them readjust to the light.

"What the…?" Joe began, but was instantly cut off by Jeff.

"THAT, Joseph, was a series of flashbulbs that just took your picture. We like to have them, as evidence, of yet another job well done. We will be sure to send them to your father as a remembrance of what happens when you try to stop the Assassins. It simply cannot be done. Oh, and, one more thing."

"WHAT?!" Joe shouted.

"He'll be getting them real soon."

Joe immediately started fidgeting harder than before. If he was going to die, then, damn it, he'd go down fighting. As he was about to topple both his and his brother's chair, he suddenly heard Frank speak.

_Always the diplomat_, Joe thought angrily. "Frank! Shut up! Let's get this guy, now!"

As Jeff laughed again, Frank remained as calm as ever. "No, Joe."

"What?!" Joe was outraged. Frank had to be kidding him. _Sure, let's chitchat with these guys_, he thought, angrily.

"I said no."

Joe stopped struggling for a moment. Okay. Either Frank was being a complete idiot, or he had a plan. Joe decided to be quiet, and hoped that it was the latter.

Frank began again. "Okay. You win," he said, slowly. "You'll kill us. Fine. But we know how you work. You'll probably need info on our father first, so you can't kill us right away."

Jeff countered. "Not really. We're all set with that."

_Well, this is going just great_, Joe sighed inwardly.

"Okay, then." Frank said. "How about it, man? We're going to die anyway. I'm dying, anyway, of curiosity here. Just tell me how you did it. How did you hide Iola for so long? Where's Callie? I don't expect you to let me see her again, but come on. I'm pretty smart, and I've been unable to figure this out. Do me one favor. A last wish, really. What does it matter? I'm dead anyway, and you've been torturing our family for over a year."

Joe saw right through his brother's words. Frank wanted answers, and he was playing dumb. There's no way, though, he reflected. These guys don't work like that.

However, much to Joe's amazement, he saw a slow, smug look come over Jeff's face, and he saw his face relax. _I can't believe it_! Joe cried in his mind. _He's falling for it._

"Well," he began hesitantly, "I suppose it's all right." He smiled. "Fooling Joe Hardy- that was no problem. Joe is so easily manipulated by emotions. But, keeping the super-sharp Fenton Hardy at bay, and puzzling a bright light like you, Frank- that IS quite the feat, eh? I don't see any harm. It will make your deaths all the more painful."

With that, he turned to the men who had entered the room. "Gentlemen, set the timer to go off in one hour. That'll give me time to speak with these brats, and to have them reflect upon their measly attempts to save both themselves and their girlfriends."

The men left.

"I'll explain that in a minute, boys. You have one hour to live, so I'll only take a few moments of your time. You see, if you look closely, there is a little light coming from the door - under where you originally looked-- we saw you on camera."

Joe immediately thought of his stupid jokes and realized how quickly the tables could turn on him.

"The walls will begin to move slowly in on you. Well, not that slowly. In any case, you'll see them, and you can count your time left on the clock that we will gladly provide for you. You can laugh, talk-- whatever. But-- you'll eventually die, not just from the lack of air, but from the walls crushing you together. A fitting end for some teens who have attempted to "crush" our network, pardon the pun."

Frank began to feel sick.

"I'll only say this. Yes, Iola Morton is alive. She has suffered mercilessly over the past year because of you, Joe. You can die with that on your conscience. She is, however, now free. She's out- somewhere- in the middle of these woods, probably struggling to survive amongst wildlife. She may starve. Who knows? The possibilities are endless. In any event, if she does make it to the road, there are plenty of guards who will kill here there. Ah, the beauty! Killed just when you think hope is upon you. She blames you, Joe. She hates you. That's all about _her_, I guess."

Joe's face became as white as chalk, and he felt like throwing up. It was a good thing he was sitting, or he was sure he would have fallen. Tears streaming down his face, Joe could only listen, shocked and astonished.

"As for Callie, Frank. She's a saucy one, isn't she? So very beautiful. Believe me. I got to know her. VERY WELL." He winked at Frank, who was shaking in horror and rage.

"Well, she tried to be brave, but eventually, we wore her down. I learned some very interesting things about you. No need to go into detail. In any event, she's with Iola now. I like her, though. I even thought of keeping her around- for pleasure. But, those kinds of girls, the ones with the fire and the sass, they'd never last long around here. She had to be punished. Not the most cooperative of girls, is she? She will die a slow and painful death. How long has it been since they were set free?" He paused. "I guess about five days or so. In another five, she will be dead. We have a little virus she was infected with. There's only one cure-- which, of course, we have here. As always, though, in the rare event something went wrong, it's hidden in the laboratory with a variety of other vials. It's virtually impossible to tell which is the right one. And so, that's it."

As both boys looked up in horror, the implications of this man's words setting in, he turned away from them.

"One hour, boys. It's too late for wishes now."

As he closed the door, Frank and Joe noticed a digital clock light up-in red, the color of blood. Then, ever so slowly, the slightest creaking noise was heard as the walls began to close in on them.

"Frank," Joe croaked, barely able to speak, "I think this time we're really going to die."


	17. Chapter 17

_Thanks to Rini, Polaris'05, Helen and missme113 for your reviews of the last chapter. :)_

Make a Wish

Chapter 17

Biff Hooper was growing impatient. Here they were- outside what appeared to be an extremely ominous and foreboding mansion in Maine. He wanted to move, and move NOW-- but, of course, Chet seemed more concerned with devouring the pizza they had picked up along the way than with devouring the trail that lay before them. As Biff sighed in impatience, he thought back to how they had ended up here so quickly...

After the Hardys had stormed out of Chet's farmhouse, they had disappeared relatively quickly. Biff had known, of course, that it would be difficult to track the ever-elusive Hardys anywhere. Still, he felt responsible for a lot of this, and he knew that if Callie was in trouble, he owed it to her to get her out. And, on the small chance that Iola was still alive, what an incredible added bonus that would be! By paying close attention to Frank, and by utilizing some lock-picking skills he had picked up from Joe one day, he had managed to sneak into the Hardys' basement and find the file that had the heading "Lazarus" written across it. He had been amazed at all of the files that looked liked they belonged to Frank and Joe from over the years. _No wonder they got out of so many football practices! _he thought.

Unfortunately, as he had been crawling around on their basement floor reading the file, he heard a noise and found himself looking at the top of some very nicely polished shoes. Immediately stuffing the file under his shirt, Biff rearranged himself and managed to poke his head out from under the desk.

"Uh... hi, Mr. Hardy." _Gee, that sounded convincing_, he winced. How was he going to get out of this one?

For once, Fenton Hardy did not look amused. Still, he kept an even pitch. "Biff. I'd tell you to make yourself at home, but I can see you've already done that," he said, dryly.

Biff had waited expectantly, hoping for some epiphany to come to him as he waited for Mr. Hardy's wrath.

"Uh, yeah. Hi again," he stammered.

Hello! Could this possibly get any worse? Biff bit his lip.

"Well, you may as well come out of there."

Biff immediately stood up, and stretched out his tall frame. It was nice not to be cramped, anyway.

Mr. Hardy simply looked at him before speaking. "Biff, I am sure that you have a perfectly good reason, however illogical and inane it probably really is, to be here. I could ask you why, but I know perfectly well you wouldn't tell me. I could ask you where my sons are, but I can assume you won't tell me that either, right?"

Biff gulped. "Uh..."

"Biff, I have known you for a long time, and I am quite certain that your vocabulary cannot possibly have regressed to monosyllabic tones in a matter of days. However, can you at least nod and tell me that my boys are okay?" Fenton persisted evenly.

Biff nodded.

"Fine. Can I assume that whatever folder you're attempting to hide from me now, under your shirt, would be for the benefit of their case alone, and that you would not possibly be violating any breech of contract or confidential information in taking a closed file?"

_Dang,_ Biff thought. This guy is good. "Y... Yes, Mr. Hardy. I'll, um, give it to them and tell them to give put it back, okay?" He paused only to gulp.

"Well, then, son. I highly suggest you get going now. But I do have one piece of advice for you."

"Sure."

"Don't try to break into a detective's house. The doorbell is just as easy." Finally, Fenton managed a small smile.

"Yes, sir." Biff blushed. With that, he left.

After gathering the information, he had immediately proceeded back to Chet's. Although he didn't want to involve his friend, particularly because of the sensitivity due to Iola, he knew that Chet had more right than him to be involved in this one. Of course, Chet had looked interested right away, and he saw a look of fire in his friend's eyes that had not been there in a long time. Just as they had been about to head out, they realized that they both had one serious problem. There, somehow managing to block both his and Chet's cars, was Vanessa Bender. And she hadn't looked happy.

"Going somewhere, boys?" She asked directly.

Chet managed to stammer, "Yeah. We, ah, we're going on a trip."

_Way to avoid the truth there, Chet_, Biff thought.

"I figured that," Vanessa answered, not missing a beat.

"Listen, Vanessa, we have to go. Now. It's important, and we don't have time to chat." Biff hadn't meant to sound rude, but clearly they couldn't involve Vanessa in this story. What would they say? "Gee, we're off to find your best friend who we made up rumors about and who now might be in serious danger from terrorists. Oh yeah. And we're also looking for Joe and Frank. And Joe's dead girlfriend. Did we forget to mention that?" That would go over REAL well.

But... Vanessa had insisted. She had refused to move, and demanded to know what was going on. After realizing all the time they had been wasting, Biff and Chet had finally looked at each other. They were defeated. There was nothing they could do.

In the next few minutes, they informed Vanessa about everything, and saw her expression change from shock, to horror, to absolute disbelief. She was disturbed greatly by the narrative, but was, naturally, quite astounded at the thought that Iola might be alive. They saw her face whiten, and tears well in her eyes. They had expected her to leave, since they knew this was a lot to absorb and to have to deal with. However, she had shocked them. Quietly, but with a firm resoluteness altogether typical of her, she had stated, "I'm going with you. That's it. End of story." And, no matter how they argued, she wouldn't give in.

And here they were.

Biff couldn't take it anymore. "Chet!" he finally shouted. "Can you stop eating for a minute here? We have to start looking for the guys. Or..." He paused. "Or anyone else. They have to be here."

Chet looked up and gobbled the last piece of pepperoni. "I just needed nourishment."

Vanessa chimed in. "I think you would have made it."

Chet just glared at her.

Together, all three checked the premises of the mansion upon which they had stumbled. Going slowly at first to avoid detection, they soon sped up their pursuit. Somehow, although none of them knew the extent of danger into which they were headed, they all had a feeling that time was, somehow, of the essence, in this case. Eventually, they came to a small doorway on the right hand side of one of the walls. Lord! This place was HUGE! They knew that somehow they had to try and get in, but, as they were about to try, they suddenly looked at one another.

"Um, guys," Vanessa began. "How're we all going to fit?"

Biff had to admit she had a point. "It looks like a midget doorway or something, " he said.

Vanessa tried to assess the situation. Chet-- well, there was no way he'd fit through- a few too many pizzas for him. Then, there was Biff. Nope. Although not fat, Biff was huge. Solidly built with broad shoulders, he'd get about halfway through.

"Well, guys, I guess it's me, then." Vanessa took a deep breath. This would be a challenge for her, too. Although slender, her height of almost six feet was going to make this hard. What kind of door was it, anyway?

She paused. "We really need Frank or Joe here. This is like the blind leading the blind."

Chet chuckled. "More like the blonde leading the blonde," he joked, looking at all three of them.

Vanessa shook her head. Like Joe, Chet had a knack for humor at somewhat inappropriate times.

"I'm going now," she said.

"Wait." Chet was suddenly serious. "You can't go alone. That'd be terrible. We'd be separated."

"Chet," Vanessa began. "We have no choice. The guys-- Callie—Iola," she said, but choked slightly at the last name, "they're probably in there. I'll go in. Then, I'll call to you and I'll find another door or something to let you in, okay?" With that, Vanessa crept down low, and wormed her way, slowly, down to the floor inside the mansion.

"Hey!" she called up. Vaguely, she could see shadows, presumably of Biff and Chet, in the light. "I'm in..."

All of a sudden, Vanessa heard what sounded like a lot of footsteps rushing towards her at once. Then, she heard it. First, in the distance, and then, suddenly, quite close by. Growling. Barking. Vanessa froze as the realization hit her. No wonder the doorway was so small! It was an entryway for animals. Shaking, Vanessa corrected herself. Attack animals.

Around the corner, she caught in her peripheral vision first one, then five, then as many as a dozen dogs. Right behind them, she thought she saw men. Covering her face with her hands, Vanessa sunk to the floor, cowering. All she could do was scream.

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Vanessa had been gone for nearly five minutes before the boys heard what sounded like screaming from somewhere inside the mansion into which Vanessa had disappeared. Looking at each other in horror, Chat and Biff began to yell loudly after Vanessa. They screamed themselves, but to no avail. It was suddenly very quiet inside the house.

Panicked, Chet trembled, "We have to get in there," all the while looking into the doorway and trying to see. When Biff didn't respond, Chet called out, louder this time, "Biff! Do you hear me?! We have to get in! Come on! Are you with me or not?"

Biff was still unresponsive. Finally, Chet turned around, and he realized why Biff wasn't answering; he was otherwise occupied by three men in suits who happened to have his attention, since they were pointing guns right at him. With a start, Chet realized that Biff wasn't the only one in trouble. Immediately, Chet and Biff were ordered to put their hands against the wall. Then, in an instant, they were handcuffed with their arms behind their backs.

"Come with me, boys," one man snarled. With that, they were led through a large area of forest until they came into the fortress on the other side.

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Frank and Joe, in the meantime, sat frozen in their chairs, barely able to speak or to breathe. The reality of the situation was preeminent in their minds, along with the abhorrent words that Jeff had left them with. They looked at the clock, as they listened to the walls move slowly towards them. Frank noticed that they had forty- nine minutes and 53 seconds left to live. This was sure to be the shortest hour that had ever passed. With his mind spinning, Frank was desperately trying to come up with a plan. He wondered why Joe wasn't talking.

"Joe?"

No response.

"Joe? Are you okay? I need you here, bro. Let's try to figure this out."

"Frank? Do you think we're gonna die?" Joe's voice held a pleading quality to it that Frank hadn't heard since they were kids. His heart went out to his brother, but he knew he had to think.

"Well, yeah, Joe, unless we can think of some alternative."

"Frank?"

"Yeah?" Frank noticed that there were now 49 minutes and 5 seconds left. This was not the time for a heart to heart.

"Do you think they meant it? Do you believe that Iola hated me, and she blamed me for everything? I couldn't live with that."

As badly as he felt for Joe, Frank was losing his cool. "Joe. I honestly have no idea."

He noticed Joe didn't respond, and he changed his tactic.

"Joe, I really have no way of knowing. But you know Iola. She was-- is-- I don't know- a sweet and understanding person. They could just be toying with you. But,Joe? Come on here. You literally won't be able to live with ANYTHING in less than an hour. I need help."

"I guess. I just wish I knew," Joe sighed despondently.

"Joe!" Frank was at the end of his rope. "Joe, if what they say is true, then Callie is dying. DYING Joe. Now." Frank swallowed the lump in his throat. How much those words ached to say, he could never express, but he continued. "Iola at least has a chance. But we can't help them if we can't help ourselves. So please help me in the next--" Frank shook his head and glanced at the clock - "47 minutes we have left."

With that, Joe seemed resolved, and he was just about to say something when he noticed the clock stop. Frank noticed it, too.

At once, the door opened. Jeff stood there, a self-satisfied smirk on his face. At once, the blinding flashbulbs went off again, as two bodies were thrown unto to floor. As Frank and Joe blinked, they heard Jeff say, "There's nothing like having some friends around to share your final moments with. Enjoy boys!"

With that, the clock again began to tick.

In stunned horror, Frank and Joe found themselves looking at the bodies of Chet Morton and Biff Hooper. Neither boy was moving.

The walls continued to close in...


	18. Chapter 18

_Sorry for the day delay!! Thank you again for your kind reviews!_

Make a Wish

Chapter 18

Vanessa Bender squeezed her eyes tightly and shook her head. Then, for what seemed like the hundredth time, she opened her eyes and looked around the room in which she was being held. She was in some kind of laboratory, and all around her were glass bottles and microscopes, filing cabinets with the word "Confidential" written across them, and pictures. There were so many pictures.

As Vanessa crept closer to take a look, she made sure not to make a sound. She had been warned that the slightest noise could lead to her capture or... well, to her death. As she scrutinized with her eyes the photographs on the wall, she looked for someone who she might have been able to recognize. Her mind, however, drifted to how she had ended up here...

As she had heard dogs and what sounded like a lot of people headed her way after she had sneaked into the mansion, she had, naturally, started screaming. When she had decided to come with Chet and Biff to this place, she could think of a lot of ways that she may have met an early demise, but being mauled to death by animals hadn't been on her list. As she heard the noises approach her faster, she had felt someone grab her around the waist and pull her back.

Vanessa had tried resisting, but she was able to see that there was some sort of secret passageway into which she had been pulled. It was so dark in there! She felt herself being dragged backwards, and, although she couldn't swear to it, it seemed like there was one than one person who had been present. Finally, whomever it was who had grabbed her turned her around, while the other footsteps seemed to disappear down the hallway. This man had a mask over his face, but still... Vanessa could swear that there was something familiar about him. He had kept his hand over her mouth to keep her from screaming, but it was his words, not his actions, that had astounded Vanessa the most.

"Vanessa Bender," he had said in a low voice. "Listen to me. If I let go of your mouth, you must promise not to run or to scream. Do you understand?"

Vanessa could only nod; his hand remained covering her mouth.

"I'm serious. One sound, one scuffle, could manage to get us both killed, and I'm not prepared for that. You must promise," he continued.

Vanessa nodded again, and slowly, he released her. Vanessa had wanted to run as fast as she could, and she certainly didn't feel any loyalty to keep her promise to a total stranger, but where would she go? So, she kept still and stared at the eyes that were looking at her through the mask, trying to place them.

"Vanessa, I know you. I also know that Frank and Joe Hardy, as well as Chet Morton and Biff Hooper, are here, somewhere. I, and my group of friends- we want to get you all to safety. This is a very dangerous place for you to be. I know. We've all been here for a long time. I managed to escape for a while, and a lot of plastic surgery and aliases have kept my identity from being revealed. We were going to try and destroy this place from the inside out, but it's too much. This network is spread throughout the country, but this is their headquarters. Now, in order to destroy it, we must first alleviate as many casualties as possible. I am here to help your friends. Now, follow me. And be quiet." With those words, he signaled for Vanessa to follow him.

Vanessa's mind was spinning. She DID follow him, but she tried to make sense of what he was saying. She KNEW those eyes. Where from? What was he talking about? Who were his friends?!

Finally, they had come to a door a long way off from where they had started. The door had been locked, but somehow, this guy seemed to know a way to finagle the lock without setting off any alarms. It had only taken him a minute or two to complete the task.

He ushered her into the laboratory, and said simply, "Wait here for me. I will lock you in anyway, so you can't escape. Hide if anyone comes. Touch nothing. I'll be back."

Vanessa stuttered, "But how? Who? I mean..."

"Shhh!!" he had hissed. "I will be back." With that, he was gone.

And so, Vanessa stood there, in complete awe and shock. Here she was, in this giant laboratory, waiting for her unknown hero to come and to rescue her. But, she couldn't help but to wonder, was he really her hero, or her villain? She only knew she wasn't going to wait around to find out.

Looking around her, Vanessa quickly realized that she was trapped here. The windows loomed high above her head, and not only were they small, they had bars on them as well. She had tried the two doors, but they were locked, too. Her closest call had come when she had heard laughter in the distance.

Hiding immediately in the back of the room under one of the many tables, she heard two men enter the room. They spoke to each other in a jovial manner.

"It seems everything is going nicely."

"Indeed."

"I can just imagine the look on Fenton Hardy's face when he sees what his kids looked like right before they died!"

Vanessa gasped, and quickly covered her mouth.

There had been a pause. Shaking, Vanessa hoped that the men hadn't heard her.

"Did you hear something?"

The other man paused, and then laughed. "Nah, it's probably just your nerves. Who could get in here? The excitement of finally cracking the Hardy family has gotten to you! The walls closing in on them! Ingenious! I'm sort of disappointed I didn't come up with that myself!"

More laughter.

Vanessa heard some rustling, as the men continued to chat. She heard a lot of things that hadn't made sense to her, but something was certain; Joe and Frank were here, and they were in grave danger. She didn't understand the reference to the walls, but she somehow knew that she had to get out of there to help them. After what seemed like an eternity, the men had left, and Vanessa could breathe more easily again.

And here she was. Looking around the room, Vanessa tried to look at the pictures again and see if she recognized anyone. Much to her shock and horror, mixed in among the pictures were photos of the Hardys. WHY were they there? Vanessa's head was spinning.

Then, softly, Vanessa could hear scratching noises at the door. Her face drained of color as she quickly realized that the men must have come back for her. They HAD hear her gasp! Trying to look for a different hiding place, Vanessa realized there was none. Where could she go?! The noises at the door continued, as if someone was struggling to get in. In a panic, Vanessa dove behind the door. At least she could buy a few minutes that way; no one would think to look there.

At that moment, the door opened. Vanessa heard soft noises, although she dared not look to see her captors. In the distance, she thought she heard a soft "Oh, no" but she couldn't be sure. Well, fine. If they were going to have her, she wouldn't go down without a fight.

Summoning up every last bit of courage that she had, Vanessa slammed the door back and leapt blindly into the air in the direction of the noise. "UUUMMMPPPHH!!" she heard loudly as she tackled the person. As soon as she opened her eyes, Vanessa froze. She stared in horror.

Although the young girl didn't recognize her and looked absolutely terrified, Vanessa knew instantly that she was staring into to the eyes of Iola Morton.


	19. Chapter 19

_As always, thanks so much for taking the time to leave feedback and such nice comments. You all are the reason that I post and write to begin with!_

Make a Wish

Chapter 19

"Biff! Chet! Wake up!" Joe yelled to his friends. He still couldn't believe that they were here. Joe would ordinarily have enjoyed the help of his friends on one of their cases, but, at the moment, he was concentrating on how to get out of this little room with the walls closing in.

Unfortunately, Joe and Frank were not having much luck waking up their friends.

"What do we do?" Joe implored his brother to help him out on this one.

Frank felt the sweat on his forehead. This was like living through a nightmare. Still, he had to think of something. At once, an idea came to him. "Joe! I think I have it! Remember before, you were trying to get us to attack Jeff and those guys?"

Joe responded, "Yeah, but the ropes and the chairs kind of stopped that idea."

"Well, do what you were going to do then. Push to the side. I think we can manage to fall on top of the guys. You'll probably be able to reach Biff. I think I have Chet," Frank responded without stopping.

Joe sighed. Leave it to Frank to get the fluffier landing. "Well, what if we can't get up?" Joe asked.

Frank paused. "Well, little brother, I guess we die about one minute earlier than we would have the other way. As it is, this is getting a little too close for comfort for me. Look at the clock. We have 41 minutes left. Are you with me or not?"

Joe took a deep breath. "Of course. On the count of three-- One. Two. Three."

With that, both brothers exerted all the physical energy they had left and hurled themselves on top of Biff and Chet. The plan worked.

"H... Hey!!" Chet sputtered. "What's going on?"

Biff wasn't far behind in his reaction. He was jolted awake by the force of a body, and turned around to find himself within about an inch of Joe Hardy's face. They stared at each other for a second.

"Listen, dude," Joe said with a straight face. "Back up there. First you wear dresses, now you're all in my face. Is there something you should tell me?"

Biff's face turned red, and he leapt back and stood up against the wall, which he thought would make a good support system. It only took him a minute to realize that either he or the wall was moving, and another instant to realize it was the wall.

"What the…?!" Biff stuttered, shaking his head to clear it, and stared at the wall. Then, he looked down at the Hardys, who looked extremely uncomfortable on the floor. Their arms looked painful behind them. _Well, at least Frank sort of crash -landed on Chet,_ Biff thought.

Suddenly he was angry. "Joe, man, shut up. Is this all the thanks we get for saving your sorry butts?"

Joe forced out, "Is that what you're doing? 'Cause you look pretty messed up yourself."

Finally, Frank managed, "Can you help us up, please? This hurts. Quit arguing for a minute."

Together, Chet and Biff, although they were handcuffed themselves, managed to push Frank and Joe up by backing them against one of the walls. Biff couldn't help but be thankful for all those pushups from football.

Now all four boys looked at each other. They were quickly running out of time. The clock read 36 minutes left to live, and the room was considerably smaller than it had been when they were first taken there. In the next few minutes, Biff and Chet quickly recounted why they were there. Chet stopped when he noticed Joe gaping at him.

"What?" he asked.

"Vanessa is HERE? You lost her? I can't believe this!" Joe was stunned and angry. As another argument was about to start, Frank suddenly yelled, "Knock it off! Hello, people! We need to think of a plan."

As the minutes passed by, Biff and Chet tried desperately to untie Frank and Joe, to no avail. Terror in their eyes, they looked again at the clock as they gathered closer together. Twenty - five minutes left before they would be crushed to death.

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Vanessa, meanwhile, backed off the frightened girl as quickly as possible. She stood up and took a close look at the girl who was staring up at her in terror. So, this was Iola. Vanessa hadn't quite been prepared for this. As Vanessa stared at Iola, she found herself feeling sympathetic to her, and she didn't know why. The girl in front of her was thin; too thin. She was very pretty, Vanessa noticed, but she looked pale and fragile, as though she had been through a terrible ordeal. Her clothes looked to be a simple gray sweat suit. Or, was it brown? Vanessa couldn't tell, as it was so dirty and ripped. Iola's pale skin was quite delicate and lovely, but was covered with scratches and bruises. Vanessa noticed that the girl was shaking badly.

"P... Please don't hurt me," Iola whispered. "I... I promise that whatever you want I'll do. Please. You're not with THEM, I can tell. Are you new here? I'll help you. B… But ...my friend. She's really badly hurt. I have to help her. Please. Please." All of a sudden, Iola burst into tears.

Vanessa didn't know what to do. At once, she felt her own eyes well up with tears. Oh, God. This couldn't be happening, could it? Vanessa fell to her knees beside Iola and, hand trembling, reached out to her and gently touched her shoulder. "It's all right," she said, softly. "I won't hurt you. I... I'm a friend. I want to help you."

Iola couldn't believe this. She looked at the pretty blonde girl. She honestly had been about to give up. She felt so sick and terrible and all she wanted to do was to find the lab and get Callie's cure. Well, here was the lab, but the last thing she had expected had been to be tackled. Maybe this girl was telling the truth. Maybe a miracle had happened.

"Who are you?" Iola asked. "My name is Iola."

Iola thought she saw a look of pain in the girl's eyes, but she couldn't be sure. In truth, she could barely focus on the room and even standing took quite a bit of effort.

"My name is Vanessa." The girl paused. "I am a ... friend... of Frank and Joe Hardy. I think you know them."

Iola's eyes widened in amazement, and she felt her heart stop. She covered her mouth with her hand, and managed to ask, "Oh! Oh! Is it true?"

Vanessa felt her own heart stop, but she managed to continue. "Yeah. I mean yes, it is."

Iola had to ask. "Did...did Joe ever mention me? Is that how you know me?"

Vanessa held back tears and whispered, "Something like that."

Then, she continued. "They're here, you know. And they're looking for you. And Callie." That name snapped Vanessa back into reality. Apparently, it had the same effect on Iola.

"Oh! Va... Vanessa, is it? Oh, that's what I'm here for. Callie- she's really hurt. You know her? Well, of course you do."

Vanessa listened as Iola stumbled for words. "Listen, she's been injected with some sort of drug. I have to find the cure. I mean, it should be in here, right? Please, can you help me? She doesn't have much time left."

Vanessa felt chills run down her spine at those words. "Where is she?"

Iola responded, "Back. In the woods. I was scared to leave her, but I had to."

"Okay." Vanessa didn't quite grasp what Iola was talking about, but she sensed the urgency in the girl's voice. "Wait!" Vanessa had an idea.

Iola looked at her.

"If we find Frank and Joe, and Chet and Biff..."

"They're here, too? Chet?" Iola interrupted. Vanessa groaned. Of course. Chet was Iola's brother. She'd want to see him.

"Yes, they are. Listen," Vanessa was suddenly hit with the urgency of everything. "Before, some guys came in and talked about moving walls. I think Joe, Frank, and the guys are really in trouble. Help me find them. Then, we can all go and help Callie, right away. Think it's our best shot. What do you say?"

Iola looked torn. Vanessa realized she should help her up. Standing herself, Vanessa offered a hand to Iola, who shakily got to her feet. _Goodness_, thought Vanessa. _She looks so fragile, like she'll break any minute_. Still, despite her looks, the girl had a fierce look in her eyes, born, Vanessa assumed, from a long time of hopelessness and what else, she couldn't even imagine.

"Okay, friend, let's go," Vanessa managed.

Together the girls vacated the lab, being very careful to be quiet. Several times, Iola almost collapsed. She apologized to Vanessa, who shook it off and helped her. If Iola was this bad, Vanessa couldn't even fathom what Callie must be like right now. Vanessa reached into her pocket for a life-saver, and then realized that Iola could use it more than her. She offered it to Iola, who looked at it as if it were gold. Vanessa began to realize that something very bad had gone on, and she didn't like it.

"Thank you," Iola said softly, stuffing the candy into her mouth. "Maybe you'll be MY lifesaver, eh?" Vanessa looked at Iola. Good God. This girl, even at her worst, shared Joe's corny sense of humor. Vanessa had a sick feeling that, if they did make it out, she might have made the worst mistake of her life in helping this girl. Still, in all good conscience, she had to.

Iola, Vanessa was surprised, took the lead, and seemed to know her way somewhat around these parts. _I guess that makes sense. After all, she did spend a long time here_, thought Vanessa.

After they had traveled for a while, creeping around and dodging security, they heard a low, scraping noise in the distance. The girls picked up the pace. Finally, they arrived at a remote corner. Peeping into the blackness from which the noise was coming, first Iola, then Vanessa, gasped in horror. It looked like there was a room separated from the others, and it looked like its walls were closing in. Neither girl had to say it. They looked at each other.

"They've got to be in there," Vanessa whispered.

"Let's go," Iola responded.

"How on earth do we stop this thing?" Iola asked.

That, Vanessa had to admit, was a very good question.

"I'm sure there are cameras around," Iola began, "so that means we have to work quickly. There's probably a door somewhere. Come on."

Circling the perimeter, the girls saw a door on the side of the room, but it was bolted into place.

That, though, was not what concerned them.

On the outside of the wall, next to the door, was a digital clock that was, they presumed, on the inside as well.

It flashed, in bold letters, "Minutes to live."

The number underneath read "Ten."


	20. Chapter 20

_Thanks to Alicia, Missy, Missme113, Helen, and Polaris for your reviews on the last chapter. I see that some of you have posted new chapters for your own stories, which I eagerly look forward to reading and commenting on tomorrow! Also, I think someone asked about Iola and Vanessa. Vanessa knows about Iola right now, but Iola has no idea who Vanessa is. So... Hmmmmmmmm... wonder how that'll turn out! LOL!!_

Make a Wish

Chapter 20

By now, Frank, Joe, Chet and Biff were primarily concerned with finding enough room to maneuver in the small, enclosed space in which they were located. Space was probably the best word for it, since it could hardly be called a room any longer. Through a lot of hard teamwork and patience, Biff and Chet managed just now to loosen Joe's wrists enough so that he was able to slip one wrist free from the rope. Quickly, he slipped the other hand free, and rubbed his wrist. At this point, it was pretty raw, and Joe could see visible welts forming.

"_Ow! That hurts_!" he complained to the others.

Frank was now able to turn around and stare down his brother. "Joe! Will you quit complaining?! Hurry up! Untie me!" he ordered, aggravated.

Joe set to work immediately on his brother's wrists, but it took him a good two or three minutes to set him free. By this point, the walls were so narrow that Joe was literally sitting on top of Biff, and Frank and Chet were squeezed together. Frank felt his heart pounding in his chest as he fought back the panic that threatened to overwhelm him. Glancing at the clock, he realized that in seven minutes they'd be dead.

Getting free himself as a result of Joe's efforts, Frank quickly stretched back his own arms as much as they would go. Up until this point, Frank had managed to remain relatively calm, but now panic was definitely setting in. He was free, and Joe was free. However, Chet and Biff were both still handcuffed, there was no room to move, the air was quickly running out, and the walls were just a few feet from the sides of their very narrow chairs. As a matter of fact, Chet and Biff, the two largest boys, were already feeling the walls pressing into their sides.

Joe looked at the clock. Six minutes. He began shaking, and he could feel his brother and friends' horror. There was simply nowhere to go. How could they stop it? With a feeling of dread Joe had rarely felt before, he realized that there was nothing that could be done. This was it.

Chet was yanking on his handcuff, still desperately trying to free himself. Biff was unnaturally quiet and still, as if he was accepting his fate. And then there was Frank. Although both boys were faced in the opposite direction, since literally there was nowhere to move, Joe knew his brother was still trying to think of something. Joe felt his own eyes begin to burn with tears. He turned his head, and looked over Biff's shoulder. Frank had hung his head in defeat. Joe was suddenly overwhelmed. HE had gotten Frank into this, and his friends. HE was the one who hadn't been careful entering the premises, and HE had wasted time complaining instead of trying to escape.

Choking back his words, he could only say to his brother, "Frank, I..."

He suddenly felt Frank reach back and squeeze his hand. "I know, Joe."

All four boys went suddenly still, the reality of the situation now fully upon them. The walls were almost at their chairs. The clock read "Five" in the "minutes" section.

All of a sudden, Joe heard what seemed to be a scratching noise from outside the door. At first, he thought it was delirium setting in, but then he felt Biff's head look up, too. Then, there it was again.

"What on earth is that?" Chet stammered.

"Shhh!!" Frank replied. "Let me listen."

The boys suddenly began to shout, all at once. Between cries of "Help", "In here!," "Hurry!" and "Oh God! I don't want to die!" the boys hoped against hope and made the greatest wish of all that somehow, they might be able to survive this. Never before had time seemed at once so foreboding and unforgiving.

In the meantime, right outside the door, Vanessa and Iola heard the screaming as they attempted to jimmy the locks in the door. They started yelling back, but, over all the boys' screaming, Vanessa doubted they could hear them. Iola, despite the dire nature of the situation, managed to quip, "Aren't the girls the ones who are supposed to be screaming?" Yet, joking side, Iola felt herself trembling badly. Chet and Joe- HER Joe- were inside there, and she had to help to get them out. Vanessa was thinking the same thing- somehow she had to get HER Joe out of there.

At first, the girls had simply tried to use their nails, and then any pens or anything with a point they could find. They were racing against the clock, alarms, and video cameras, and their own internal fears as they watched a room close in on itself. Then, Iola had come up with a brilliant idea.

"Hey! Vanessa!" Iola said suddenly. "Wait! This isn't working. Callie gave me a small knife. Well, it's a nail file, really, but she said it would serve the same purpose. Use this. Quick!"

And, it had worked. The girls were almost in. At once, Iola looked up as the lock snapped. She desperately wanted to look in, but she knew she couldn't.

Turning to Vanessa, Iola quickly came out with, "Listen. Get the guys out. Let me run to the lab, in case anyone comes. I'll start to look for the medicine there, and then, if there's trouble, I can get help. It's better if we split up."

"Huh?!" Vanessa said, hurriedly working on the lock. "Yeah, okay."

As Iola turned away to scurry down the hall, she instantly turned around and said, "Tell Joe, please, I need to see him! I miss him so much." With that, she disappeared down the hall.

The door snapped open. Thankfully, it opened towards the outside, because there was no room to open the door on the inside. Frank was the first to feel the air and to see the light. He felt Chet push him forward, and he landed, hard, right outside. Chet, arms still behind his back, followed close behind. Joe and Biff were in a somewhat more difficult predicament, being wedged in on the other side of the door. Still, Joe climbed over on the opposite side of the chair. It began to splinter. Joe heard the crushing of the wood, and using all of his strength, he managed to lift Biff back under his armpits and literally drag him down on the other side of the chair. Crunch! A leg split off the chair. Within seconds, both boys managed to get themselves free and jump from the room.

Joe landed right outside the door. The first thing he saw, as he looked up, was the clock. It read "10 seconds." As he shook his head to try to clear it, the first thing he heard was a loud crash as the walls came together. Then he glanced up and saw Vanessa, looking at all four boys with astonishment and horror. Joe saw she had tears streaming down her face.

As Chet and Biff struggled for air, and Frank shook his head in disbelief at what had just occurred, Joe stood up and hugged Vanessa tightly. "It's about time you got here," he said to her. "I was just beginning to get a little worried."

Vanessa hugged Joe back. "I'm so glad you're okay," was all she could murmur.

"Um, I'm fine, too," Chet interjected.

"That goes for me, too," said Biff.

Frank smiled. "Same here. Vanessa, if you weren't Joe's girlfriend, I'd kiss you right now!"

Vanessa laughed through her tears as she pushed them away. Joe kept an arm firmly around her.

"Yeah!" Chet began. "You came just in the nick of time. That was a close one." Chet's face was still pale with exhaustion and stress.

"Well," Joe began. "I mean, I was just about to come up with a great plan, and you barely beat me to it."

"Oh give me a break!" Frank laughed.

Even Vanessa had to smile. "Joe, it'd have to be the world's quickest plan with 10 seconds left to go!"

Joe hugged her again, and whispered in her ear, "I love you, Vanessa. You're the only girl for me."

Vanessa's heart dropped when she heard those words. With a groan, she realized that the most difficult thing she had to say was right in front of her, and there was no way to avoid it.

"Joe- guys- there's something I need to tell you. We have to get out of here, and quick! We have to go the lab and meet..."

"Callie!" Frank exclaimed, suddenly remembering that time was still running out for his girlfriend. "We have to get there, fast! Vanessa, do you know the way? Let's go!" Frank's heart was racing. All of this meant nothing if he couldn't save Callie.

"That's not what I was going to say. I..." Vanessa began.

"I need to be set free," Biff interrupted.

"Me, too," Chet chimed in.

In an instant, Frank was using the file from Callie to pick the locks that held the handcuffs on the wrists of his friends. In a matter of minutes, they were free.

"Guys," Vanessa continued, a bit desperately, "There's something really important that you need to know..."

"Which," interjected Frank, "you can tell us later when we get to the lab."

"But…" Vanessa tried again.

"But nothing, Vanessa," Frank snapped. "We have to save Callie. Now!"

With that, he was off.

Joe quickly followed his brother, and Chet and Biff followed behind.

With an audible sigh, Vanessa shook her head and followed.

Running to the lab, Vanessa tried not to think about the racket they were causing, or about the security cameras that were no doubt following their every move. Soon, they were at the lab door, and the brothers were about to burst in when Vanessa gave a last minute attempt to tell Joe what had happened.

"Wait! Frank, Joe," she huffed, catching her breath. "If you go in there you'll see..."

Frank swung the door open anyway.

Rushing in, all four stopped dead in their tracks.

Joe gasped as the breath was taken from him. Chet froze. Biff and Frank could only stare in disbelief.

There, right in front of them, was Iola Morton.


	21. Chapter 21

Make a Wish

_Thanks to all those who have read and even more thanks to those who have reviewed. Keep in mind that this chapter references the two past cases in the Casefiles series where Joe believed Iola to be alive but she, in fact, was not. Enjoy!_

Make a Wish

Chapter 21

As all four boys stared at Iola, Vanessa was suddenly aware of the how deafeningly loud silence could be. The silence, however, did not last very long. Iola dropped whatever it was that she had been holding in her hand, and, covering her mouth with a trembling hand, she managed to quiver, "Hi, guys. Long time no see." She started to smile, but quickly began to cry as all of the emotions that she had, for so long, been holding at bay, came flooding through.

Joe was the first to speak. "I... Iola?!" he choked, his own voice strained with emotion. "Is… is it you?! I can't... believe it." Joe began to breathe for the first time since they had opened the door.

Iola, still crying, managed to nod.

"Sis?!" Chet exclaimed, not fully over his shock, but needing to prove to himself that what was happening was real.

Again, Iola could only nod.

Finally, Frank broke the tension in the room as he said softly, "Biff, I think you and I should wait outside and give Chet and Joe a few minutes here."

Turning to Iola, Frank smiled tightly and said, "Iola. I can't believe it. I really can't."

Joe, upon hearing these words, had to hold himself back from getting angry. He saw right through the double meaning in Frank's words, and he didn't like it. Still, he knew Frank was right. As desperately as he wanted to believe that this was Iola standing in front of him, he knew that he had to be sure. And, to do that, he'd have to speak with her. Now.

Chet, totally stunned by everything, walked over to Iola and hugged her tightly. Even he could not get over her appearance. What had she been through to look so thin? Chet shuddered as he held back thoughts that he did not even want to fathom.

"Iola," he said softly, tears in his own eyes, "I don't even know what to say to you right now. I... I can't even believe this is happening. I promise I'll get you out of here. There's so much I want to say! But..." he glanced at Joe, "I'll let you talk to Joe first. Then," he smiled before continuing, "You're all mine."

With that, the two siblings hugged again, and Chet followed Frank and Biff right outside.

Frank noticed, as soon as he walked out, that Vanessa was already waiting there. She looked traumatized, but, Frank realized, she was holding things together extremely well. _She's pretending to be all right with this for Joe_, Frank thought. He was amazed at her grace under fire. Frank gently reached over to hold her hand, and gave it a gentle squeeze. Despite his worry for Vanessa, however, Frank could not help but to think to himself, "_Please let this be the real Iola, because Joe won't be able to deal with it if it's not._" With a sigh, Frank wished with all his might for that to come true.

Alone in the room, Joe and Iola stared at each other for a moment. Joe ached to hold her, to stop her from crying, to tell her that he was sorry and that he missed her, that he hoped she was all right, and, above all, that he loved her still. Every gut instinct and emotion that Joe had told him that this was the right thing to do. In the back of his mind, though, was Frank's tiny voice in the distance, the voice of logic and reason, the practical voice that was saying, "_You've been here twice before Joe. Be careful_."

_Damn him_! Joe winced to himself. How Callie had managed to put up with Frank's cool logic over sweeping emotion was beyond him. Still, he knew what he had to do. There was no way he'd be able to deal with getting involved again if this wasn't Iola.

As he was about to talk, he noticed that Iola made the first move. Walking over to him, she threw her arms around him and held onto him tightly. Despite his logic telling him not to, Joe just held her_. Oh_! Joe closed his eyes in disbelief and tried to fight his own tears. She was so small and delicate, so fragile, and so beautiful, despite her apparent fatigue and injuries. Joe took a slow, deep breath and breathed in her essence, and he couldn't help but to feel as if somehow she belonged there, right in his arms. Still, he couldn't speak--he didn't have to.

Iola pulled back from Joe for a moment and did the talking for him. "God, Joe. It's so amazing to see you." Joe noticed that she was smiling and crying at the same time. "I've missed you so much. I... I never thought this day would come. I had to believe, Joe. And when I ran out of beliefs, I had only hope. And when I ran out of hope, I had only wishes. And all my wishes have just come true."

Joe stammered, "Oh, Iola..."

"Listen, Joe. It's me. I know you want to believe that. It really is true. I know what you've been through before, and I know because they've used ME to get to YOU. I DID talk to you the last time you were here, even though you thought it was a clone of me. The 'clone' came later, Joe. There's no way you could not have known, deep down… so..." she continued bravely, "Ask me anything. It's okay. I understand. I'm yours now. There's nothing I won't tell you. Ask me details I couldn't have put in my diary. I can tell you about so many things! I remember them all. We had so many firsts together, didn't we? Our first day of school, our first kiss, our first..." she blushed. "Well, a lot. So go ahead! I'm ready."

Joe looked at the lovely girl in front of him and he reached over to hug her again before speaking. "I know it's you. I KNOW it is. But... let's talk, okay? I hate to put you through any more pain. It hurts me more than you to think to know thatI was responsible for so much pain in your life, and I just caused more. Thank you for allowing me to do this."

For the next half - hour, as Frank, Vanessa, Biff, and Chet waited outside, Joe and Iola spoke of every topic about which they could think. Joe made sure to ask Iola the most private of things they had been through, recalling some of the smallest details he could think of before she had started to record in her diary. By the end of their time together, a lot of tears had been shed by both. Joe then leaned over, pulled Iola close to him, and kissed her. It was during that kiss that he knew. This WAS the real Iola.

As the two were about to leave the lab, the lights suddenly started blinking on and off rapidly. Joe heard Frank and the others yelling outside, and he smelled, quite clearly, the rotting smell of sulfur in the air. It was then that Iola and Joe looked at each other in shock, as smoke began billowing from the air vents. The mansion was on fire.

Joe and Iola covered their mouths as they ran for the door. Waiting outside for them were Frank and the others. "What happened?!" Joe exclaimed, still clinging tightly to Iola's hand.

Frank coughed. "Joe, I don't know. You probably couldn't hear it in the lab, but there were these really short, quick, siren -like sounds. Then, the smoke started coming."

"We've got to get out of here!" Biff bellowed. This was quickly becoming the worst day of his life.

All the friends began running, led by Iola's instructions. As the lights grew dimmer, they began to lose track of one another as the smell of smoke and sharp noises throughout the air seemed to follow their every move. Finally, minutes later, Joe found himself, Iola, Chet and Biff outside, on one of the sides of the fortress. They each gasped for breath. Iola slowly sunk to the ground. The exertion was getting to be too much for her.

Closing his eyes for a second, Joe quickly opened them again to ask his brother a question. It was then that it dawned on him-- Frank wasn't there.

In panic, Joe stood up and looked around in desperation for any sign of his brother. There was none. Looking at Iola, Chet and Biff, he told them quickly, "Stay here," as he coughed again. "I'll be right back. Do NOT move."

With that, he jogged as quickly as he could possibly muster around to another side of the fortress. As all of this was happening, he couldn't help getting a very bad feeling about this whole situation. First, where was Callie? Second, where was Frank? Third, where was Vanessa? Joe felt his heart stop with THAT question. Vanessa. Oh, Lord! His words "you're the only girl for me" which he had muttered to Vanessa not an hour ago came ringing back at him now. Shaking that off, Joe knew something else was bothering him. He couldn't quite put his finger on it, but something wasn't right about this whole situation. What WAS it?! Joe sighed in exasperation. It was times like this he could really use Frank.

Looking around, Joe finally caught some type of movement from the corner of his eye. Heading in that direction, he noticed a figure--Was it a girl? Far off in the distance, Joe headed that way, determined to find out. Finally, he caught up with Vanessa. She was sitting on the ground, hunched over, face covered with soot or ash. From this vantage point, Joe could see that at least one side of the mansion was quite clearly on fire. Smoke and fire came out through the windows, and an intense rush of heat was close by.

Kneeling down beside Vanessa, he put an arm around her and asked, "Are you okay? What happened?" Vanessa looked at Joe. The concern and love were clearly in his eyes, although Vanessa knew that they might not be for much longer. "Yeah. I'm okay. I got lost. I called for help, but you were- well, you were with Iola," she finished, sadly.

Joe didn't know what to say. Finally, he whispered, "I'm so sorry, Vanessa." Then, as if he had suddenly remembered something, he asked her quickly, "Van, have you seen Frank? Did he follow you out?"

"Oh!" Vanessa gasped.

"What?!" asked Joe quickly, surprised by Vanessa's reaction to the question.

"Oh, God Joe. Yes, I DID see him. We were all running, trying to find somewhere to get out, and Frank stopped. I told him to hurry up, but he said he couldn't. He had to try to find something in the lab to help Callie. I told him not to do it, but he didn't listen. Oh, Joe. Frank's trapped in the building!"

Joe looked in horror as a portion of the roof collapsed. There was no way anyone could get out of that side of the building. With a start, Joe realized that was where the lab had been. Joe's face blanched.

Frank was gone.


	22. Chapter 22

_Thanks so much for your continued reviews. There are obviously still a lot of questions that need to be answered ... and there are only two more chapters... so many of those questions will be answered in the next story, called "Classified Secrets." Hope you like this and the next two chapters!_

Make a Wish

Chapter 22

Joe stood huddled near Chet, Vanessa, Iola, and Biff on the side of the burning building. He forced himself to hold it together as he tried to think of some way to get the others to safety, and for him to go back and to look for his brother. So far, no idea was coming to him. Joe was having a difficult time adjusting to the shock of Frank's disappearance. Today, they had come so close to dying and Joe was sure that they had beaten the odds once again. However, as he had come back with Vanessa to the others who were waiting for him, he found himself believing that maybe luck was no longer on their side. Although Joe believed in his brother with all his heart, the part of the building in which Frank had been last seen was now demolished. There was nothing Joe could do, and he couldn't accept that.

He knew if he had been with Iola, or, at least, the old Iola, she would have tried to comfort him and get him to talk. He had never been good at that. Although Joe had always been an emotional person, he generally needed a little while to figure things out before he felt like talking about them. Vanessa, on the other hand, seemed to have sensed that need in him, as she always had before. As they had walked back to the others, she merely held his hand and squeezed it. That had been enough for Joe. Sometimes the deepest connections to him were those that were unspoken.

And here he was, in a terrible situation. Frank was missing, and Joe couldn't even begin to contemplate that Frank hadn't made it to safety. Then, there was Vanessa and Iola, the only two women whom he had loved. It hadn't taken Joe long to figure out that Iola wasn't aware that Vanessa was anything more to him than a friend, and that Vanessa was painfully aware that Iola was much more than that to him. Add that to the fact that Callie was still nowhere to be found, and that he and his friends had to find a way to safety quickly, and the situation was beginning to look very bleak, indeed.

"Ok, guys, we need a plan," Joe finally spoke.

Biff ordinarily would've teased Joe about making such an obvious comment, but there was nothing remotely funny about this situation. Weighing heavily on all their minds was Frank's whereabouts.

"Joe, at least we can probably sneak around here and try to get help," Biff interjected, grasping at some last elusive solution.

Joe sighed. Help? That was a joke. Then it hit him. _Wow, I must have been tired_, Joe thought before speaking. "Hey guys! I totally forgot! We have the rental car parked not too far from here. We can get to it, and then call for help finding Frank!" As he said the words, he couldn't shake the feeling that still, something was wrong.

The others, though, looked excited. Joe realized how much they needed hope at this time.

"Wait!" Iola suddenly chimed in. "I don't know how we can help her, but we need to get Callie! We don't know if the guys in there were telling the truth. We can get her to a hospital. Come on! It's not very far. Then, we can all get help." Iola began to show them the direction of Callie's location, but Joe saw her wobble, and quickly steadied her. He realized how weak Iola still was after her ordeal, and he realized that he was jeopardizing her health by dragging her around.

Turning to the girls, Joe said quickly, "We'll go. Iola and Vanessa-- you stay here. We'll be right back. Iola, you're sure Callie was straight ahead, about a 5 or 10 minute walk from here?"

"Yes," she replied.

"Let's go," Joe said, as Biff and Chet followed him. Looking back behind him, Joe turned to the girls. "Be careful."

Under normal circumstances, Joe would never have let Vanessa and Iola have an opportunity to talk. These, however, were no normal circumstances. Somehow, Joe knew instinctively that, although Vanessa hadn't told her, Iola might get a clue as to the nature of their relationship. Despite this potential, he was not willing to have either of them hurt. He was also concentrating on the sick feeling he got whenever he thought of Frank, the horror he felt at Callie's predicament, if it was true, and something else that was gnawing at him. He still couldn't place it, but he was getting closer.

As the boys approached the area where Iola had instructed them to go, all three were alert to finding Callie. But, when they got to the spot, Callie was nowhere to be found.

"Is this the spot?" Chet asked.

"I... I think so. I mean, you heard Iola," Joe answered warily.

The boys searched for several minutes, and Joe was about to move on when he heard Biff's voice calling in the distance. "Joe! Joe! Chet! Come over here, quick!"

Chet and Joe raced to the spot, and stopped still when they saw Biff. Slowly, he held up a white tee shirt. It was covered in blood, and looked as it if had been mauled by some type of animal. Joe recognized the "Gap" label immediately and the size. It belonged to Callie Shaw.

The three boys walked back to where they had left Vanessa and Iola in silence. No one wanted to be the first to speak. Whatever had happened to Callie looked to be unspeakable, and each boy was trying to block out the thought. Finally, Joe broke the silence, but he didn't speak of Callie.

"Hey," he cleared his throat. "Something is bothering me here."

"Gee, ya think?" Biff interjected.

"Listen, Biff, I'm not in the mood for this. We...we can't do anything for Callie, not now. And, if you'll recall, my brother is also missing. So please-- shut up and listen!" Joe was angry, tired, and grief-stricken at once, and to have to argue with his friends was not something he was currently prepared for.

Biff shut up.

"No- something's missing here. I mean, yeah- there was the fire. And yes- there was the room. But I don't understand WHY..."

And then, Joe understood. Standing right in front of the boys, not 50 feet from them, were Iola and Vanessa. And they weren't alone. Jeff Wellington stood there, along with two other armed men. They had their guns set on the girls, who looked at the boys in horror.

THAT was what had been bothering him. Despite the alarms, the cameras, the fire, and the noise they had made, no one had chased them. None of the Assassins were around. It was as if they had disappeared. At that moment, Joe also recognized that, in the distance, the many vehicles he and Frank had seen coming up were gone. Somehow, in some way, these guys had gotten away, again. Well, almost all of them.

As the two men in the distance kept their rifles on each girl, Jeff kept his focused on Joe, Chet, and Biff. Stunned, the boys froze.

"Now, that's good, boys. I don't want any trouble from you. To be perfectly honest, my patience has just about run out with you. Who'd have thought that you could escape from the room of death? Clever, boys. 'Course, you couldn't have done it without the help of the girls. Very interesting."

Joe spoke up. "Let them go."

"Oh, Joseph!" Jeff snapped. "Like I said, I have had it with you and your pesky friends. As you can tell, most of us have escaped and will relocate. You can never get rid of Assassins. A few of us have remained behind for cleanup. You may have won the battle, but you have not won the war. Fenton Hardy will see his sons die. But, not before you make a decision, friend."

Joe looked up.

"Which one? Vanessa here, or Iola? You choose. One will die."

Joe felt his breath stop, and his face became white as a ghost. _Oh, God. Anything but this._

Jeff smiled for the first time in a while, a smug, slimy sort of smile that made Joe want to throw up.

"YES, yes. This is very nice. Come now," he taunted.

With that, he signaled for one of the goons to do something. In the next instant, Iola was pushed hard to the ground by the end of the rifle. Joe instinctively ran to help her, but a shot in the air stopped him. Joe felt Chet right behind him.

"Well, Joe. Shall it be Iola? Let's see. Your first love. You were responsible, after all, for sending her to us. Wouldn't it be nice to have all the time in the world for her to forgive you? Let's face it. You're not getting out of here alive, either, but one of these girls will. The other will be joining you. Will it be lovely Iola?"

Iola cowered on the ground.

"Then, of course, there's the leggy blonde. Cute- different from the pixie-like brunette. You loved her, didn't you Joe? She made you forget all about your little Iola."

Iola stared up in confusion, and then in horror as his words finally made sense to her.

The thug then pushed Vanessa to the ground.

"So, Joe? Who'll it be? Blonde or brunette? Petite or tall? City girl or country girl? Choose."

"No!" Joe shouted.

"Oh, but yes," Jeff countered. "Or, they both die."

"I... I can't. No! No!" Joe felt himself lose all control. He could not imagine a worse choice than this.

"Joe?!" Iola pleaded with him. "Help me, Joe!"

_Oh, God._

"Joe, save yourself! Please. I'm scared," Vanessa stammered.

_No!_

"Stop it!" Joe screamed.

"You have to the count of three to make up your mind."

"One."

"Wait! Vanessa, I can't choose!"

"Two."

"Iola! God, I can't let you die."

"Three."

Stillness. And then...

A shot rang out.


	23. Chapter 23

_Thanks as always to MissMe113, Helen, Sleuth girl, Alicia, and Polaris '05 for your reviews. They're appreciated! Only one more chapter to go!!_

Make a Wish

Chapter 23

Joe closed his eyes as he heard the shot zoom through the air. Then, he heard terrified screaming. Wait-- screaming? If there was screaming, then that meant the girls both had to be alive. Joe opened his eyes, and sure enough, both Vanessa and Iola were still on the ground, looking up in astonishment at the five or six men who now stood behind Jeff and his cronies, who continued to hold their guns on the girls. Apparently, the shot had come from one of the new people, who stood, wearing masks, and not from Jeff's men.

Jeff's face contorted as he angrily yelled out, "WHAT is this?! Who are you?"

Joe saw that Jeff was struggling to keep things under control, and he was as perplexed as Joe, Chet, Biff, Iola, and Vanessa were.

"We're here to stop you," a man said simply.

Again, Vanessa recognized the voice.

So did Joe.

Neither could place it.

"What?! This is outrageous! First the Hardy boys escape the inescapable, then they set the mansion on fire, and now they have hired help? Well, you will all die!"

Joe, started, asked, "What?!"

Jeff glared at him, and back to the other strangers. "What, Mr. Hardy?!"

Joe was puzzled, but excited, too. "We didn't set the fortress on fire!"

"Of course you did," Jeff answered.

"No, we didn't," Biff finally spoke up.

With that, one of the masked men stepped forward. "Here, all, is your missing link."

With that, he pulled back his mask.

There was an audible gasp from everyone, including Jeff Wellington.

Right in front of them stood Graig Saunders.

"Wh… What are you doing here?!" Jeff sputtered. He couldn't believe his own eyes.

Neither, for that matter, could Joe, or anyone else.

"Well, you see, I made a promise to Vanessa that I would help her, and here I am. AND, I came with some friends," Graig answered.

This was too much for Chet, who had to ask, incredulously, "But you're his cousin!"

"No, he's not," Jeff managed.

"You're not?!" Vanessa asked.

"Nope," he smiled as he replied.

"Iola? Don't you recognize me?" Graig asked.

She managed to shake her head no.

"Sure you do! Listen." With that, he recited a small chant. "You wanted some collateral/ One day you'll get us back in full/ You keep us hidden in a nook/ But snakes strike fast when least you look/ so act with stealth, be swift and fast/ and our one wish shall be your last."

Iola stuttered. "Oh, my God."

With that, the two men, who had their guns trained on Iola and Vanessa, took off fleeing.

Staring with a wide mouth, Biff, pumped up, shouted, "Get them! Quick!"

"No" Graig said.

"Why not?!" Biff couldn't believe this was happening, although he clearly didn't understand any of it. It was pretty cool, though!

"Because," Graig answered, "You never catch an Assassin alive. We could kill them, but I don't want any more blood on my hands. They could get away. But... so what? There will always be more."

Jeff turned to him. "B... but I don't understand! You were only a high school kid! You were paid off to spread some rumors, convince Mr. Morton to disseminate pictures, and to anger Joe Hardy! You knew nothing. Who ARE you?"

"I, sir, am part of your collateral," Graig answered coldly. "So, too, was Iola, as you know, and five others. We are all people who you kept around, merely for your own purposes, simply because we were somehow involved with people against whom you had a personal vendetta. You thought we could never escape, and, in truth, you were right when you said that the only way we would leave your fortress was in death. So-- I died."

"What?!" Jeff exclaimed.

"Yep. Scott O. Smith. You remember now."

"Scott?" Iola gasped. "You look so different. Is it you? We were told you died when you weren't needed. What? How?"

"Yes. I faked my own death. Simple, really. I knew they would tell you all that I had been 'taken care of.' The truth is I took some drugs which slowed my heartbeat to a minimal rate. To the unobservant eye, I would appear dead, and they would leave me be. Of course, who would think to double check? After all, it would make sense for suicide here, wouldn't it?"

Iola shuddered.

"My body was left in the forest, which I knew it would be," Graig continued. "Who comes out here, anyway? When I came to, I utilized the maps of the area I had hidden on me from years of watching the Assassins. I was able to get home. Certainly, I couldn't reveal my identity, in case they ever decided to pursue my father's case. So, plastic surgery was an option. It DID help that my father is a plastic surgeon! After all, that's why they went against him in the first place, when he refused to cooperate with their requests any longer. I have been planning revenge for a long, long time. I knew we'd never break the Assassins, but to DENT them, to free at least some of the innocents who needlessly lost their "real" lives by living here- -that was my goal."

Iola continued to shake her head.

"Come on Iola. That's why we had our chant, in the rare cases where we met. We used it to communicate, to share with ourselves that we weren't alone, and that there were others in the same predicament. We are the snakes who will strike. It had to be done fast. Our mission, or wish, would be the last one for them. Somehow, we'd make our mark. AND, we did. We had been planning on internally destroying this site for some time. However, when your friends got involved, we had to act with more stealth. Now, at least we are free. Come with us, now, Jeff,'" he said, turning to him.

They all saw it happen. The gun that was focused on the group before him was turned around. The last sound that Jeff Wellington ever heard was the sound of his finger pulling the trigger as the gun rested against his temple. _Bang!_

The girls looked away in horror. Even Joe had to turn his head, and Chet turned the other way left, presumably to vomit, as almost everyone felt like doing. Well, except for Graig. Or- was it Scott?

"You never take an Assassin alive," he repeated.

Walking away from the scene, Joe, Chet, Biff, Iola, and Vanessa, along with the small group Scott had with him, settled by a nearby tree.

"So," Vanessa had to ask, when she had calmed down a bit, "Is it Scott or Graig? We should know who we owe thanks to."

He smiled. "Well, it's neither, really. It's actually plain old Ernie Harris, son of Harold Harris, M.D, Baltimore. They thought my name was Scott Smith, too, picked up from my mother's maiden name. Everything else about my story is true. Ask Iola."

She nodded.

"I needed a high school name. Certainly, you can tell I'm not really seventeen. I'm thirty- three. The wonders of plastic!" He smiled.

"So, I was paid off to be cocky, so I came up with the name Saunders- you know, like "sauntering in" somewhere?! And then, I stuck here with the name Scott O. Smith- S.O.S., since, Lord knows, we needed help and it was the same old-" he paused, and looked at the girls- "STUFF everyday!"

"But how did you know to come to Bayport?" Chet asked, following enough of the story to comprehend it.

"Oh, they made their plans well known. I knew they'd try to bribe a new kid to school, so I became one. Records are easy enough to doctor- scarily so. What did they care if they told us? We certainly weren't going anywhere, and they liked to think they were torturing us, so it was easy."

"Well, let's get going," he went on. "We have a lot to do, and I think we all need to get out of here before these woods go on fire!"

The whole time this explanation was going on, Joe sat silently.

"What's wrong?" Biff asked. "Aren't you happy?"

"No," said Joe, quietly. Everyone turned to him. "Callie is still missing and Frank-- Frank is gone."

With those words, he looked into the distance.


	24. Chapter 24

_I want to thank everyone who took the time to review this story-- it is very much appreciated. As I said in the first chapter, this was the first story that I ever wrote for Hardy Boys and I tried to model it on the Casefiles as much as possible. As I wrote more and more, my style and voice gradually developed. The next story, "Classified Secrets," picks up where this one leaves off, although it can be read on its own. I hope that you all continue to read—the actual writing looks a lot different from this story! Many thanks to all, and to Red, who encouraged me to post here in the first place!_

Make a Wish

Conclusion

"Who said that?" a voice resonated above the crowd that Ernie had around him. Joe looked up. He KNEW that voice.

As all of Ernie's cohorts began removing their masks, the last one to remove his mask was... Frank Hardy!

Everyone froze, and then Joe broke into a huge smile and ran to his brother, enveloping him in a huge hug. For once in his life, he could care less what others thought of him. He was just ecstatic that his brother was alive. As it turns out, no one made fun of Joe. They all ran to Frank to give him hugs, kisses, slaps on the back, and play shoves.

"How on earth did you wind up here, bro?" Joe had to ask. "You definitely had me worried there."

Frank, although glad to see his brother, didn't look happy at all. He spoke hesitantly. "Listen. Joe. When the fire broke out, I was in the lab. I didn't know where I was going. At last, just when I thought I was a goner, one of Ernie's friends, here, Guy, pulled me back and out of harm's way. I finally knew I had to follow them if I wanted to get out alive. The only way to avoid detection was to be in disguise. And so, here I am."

"They helped me in the same way, too," Vanessa chimed in.

Joe noticed that Frank looked terrible, despite his life just being saved.

"What's wrong?" Joe asked, his voice full of concern.

"Joe," Frank said in a low voice that, Joe noticed, was trembling slightly. "Before I could get out, I couldn't make sure that I got the right antidote for Callie. It was so dark. Way in the back, vials were alphabetized by last name, but under 'Shaw,'" Frank shuddered before continuing, "There were three. I have no way of knowing if they can help her or harm her."

_Callie_. Joe groaned, thinking immediately of the bloody tee shirt that they had left behind. There's no way that Joe would be able to muster those words to tell Frank. He knew what it was like to lose the love of your life. Still, he had to try. "Frank," he said softly, "there's something I have to tell you..."

"Well, " chimed in Ernie, "perhaps you can tell him on the way to the hospital, because that is where I arranged to have Callie Shaw sent two days ago."

They all turned to stare at him, but his face was grave. He turned to Frank.

"Frank," he said, " I learned of Callie only a few days ago. I was able to sneak her off the property. Unfortunately, and I don't know how to tell you this, the Assassins were not lying when they told you what they had done to her. When I saw her, she was incredibly weak and in terrible pain. I do not doubt that without a remedy, she will die. You need to get there, quickly."

"Let's go," Joe said.

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In the next hour or so, two cars headed to the hospital; their rental car, and a car provided by Ernie and his people. Frank, Joe, Chet, Biff, Iola, and Vanessa, sat in silence, each lost in his or her own thoughts.

The rest of the "Collateral's", sans Iola, had headed out quickly to their own lives, anxious to return to the land of the living. Sirens screamed in the distance.

At the hospital, Frank managed to track down information as to Callie's whereabouts, and he found the doctor taking care of her. Of course, she had been admitted as an anonymous patient. When the doctor learned of Callie's condition, which he had been perplexed about for the two days he had her, he grew very serious.

"Young man," he had said to Frank, "Your girlfriend is very ill. She's unconscious, and on a lot of pain medication. She may have serious internal damage. Something is slowly killing her, and if you know something that could help us out, you have to let us know. She has very little time left."

Frank held back the lump in his throat. Hands shaking, he took out the three vials he had taken from the lab. "I... I don't know which one could help her," he whispered.

"Wait right here," the doctor said, taking the three vials and heading out of the room.

Fifteen minutes later, the doctor came back with very anxious look on his face. Frank saw it, and felt like dying. "What?" he choked out.

"Well, Mr. Hardy, I'm sorry to tell you this. I have never seen anything quite like this in my career. All three vials that you have here could potentially save your girlfriend. They could also potentially kill her. I cannot use these drugs in conjunction with one another. It's a toss up. I honestly have no idea which one will help her."

The doctor's face softened, as he said, "Mr. Hardy, in less than 24 hours, your girlfriend will die. She has one shot to live; one of these drugs will save her, but they've been labeled so many times it is impossible to tell which one will do it. I... I can pick one at random. Or… you can. There's a one in three chance that either one of us will be right."

Frank felt himself shaking worse than he could ever remember. He looked at the vials. He thought of Callie. He had been one of the main causes that Callie was involved in this scenario in the first place. He had to be the one to make the decision. Looking at the bottles, Frank tried desperately to logically figure them out. What was it? "White you're right; red you're dead; green you're a has been?" No. No-- it was "White- not right; red's ahead; green is keen." Oh, no. That wasn't it either. God. What to do?! Finally, shaking terribly, Frank selected one of the vials. "Take that one," he choked out, pointing to the white one.

The day that passed by was the slowest of Frank's life. He was managing to maintain a cool front, but he was dying inside. He was unable to even see Callie, as the doctors considered her case so sensitive that they didn't want to jeopardize her chances by introducing any new germs in her environment. Joe had tried to talk to him several times, but Frank had waived him away. Frank fought exhaustion and terror as he stayed up 24 hours straight.

Iola had been admitted into the hospital as well for a much needed check up and rest. Joe and Chet split shifts with her, and Vanessa and Biff sacked out in the waiting room.

Minutes turned into hours. Frank thought he would go crazy. He'd never forgive himself if something happened to Callie.

Finally, after what seemed like an eternity, the doctor came up to him. Frank took a sharp breath. He couldn't read the doctor's face.

"Mr. Hardy."

Frank looked up. _Please, God,_ he thought. "We have some bad news for you."

Frank felt his heart stop. He knew he was about to lose all control. This couldn't be happening. NO! Not to his Callie.

He couldn't even speak.

"She won't make it..." the voice began.

Frank tuned away.

"Home today," it finished.

"What?" Frank didn't understand.

The doctor smiled. "God bless you, son. You must have some good instincts. Callie will be okay. She'll be very weak, and she'll have a while to go before she's back to normal. BUT, she'll be fine. You can pick her up here in a week."

The doctor turned away and walked down the hall, leaving Frank staring in disbelief.

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A week later, things were very different for the Hardys. Chet and Biff had gone back to Bayport, along with Iola. Although she had wanted to be there for Callie, Joe had insisted she go. Iola needed to be back with her family. Joe knew it would take her a long, long time to get re-acclimated to normal life. He also knew that she had a lot of issues to deal with, including a lot involving him, and it wouldn't be fair to push himself on her right away. What Iola needed right now was unconditional love and support from a friend, and Joe was prepared to give that to her. Any added benefit of a relationship and rekindling a deep love would have to wait. Joe was okay with that. God had granted him his wish, and that was all he could ask for.

Vanessa had been unbelievable. She and Joe had spoken at length over the past several days. They had cried, and laughed. They talked about everything, including this case. Both of them couldn't get over Callie's "bloody tee shirt," which, it was later found, was really Iola's, who had worn it under her sweat-suit. The animals apparently had gotten to it before Iola could pick it back up. She had left it for a marker to remember where she had been.

They didn't come to a decision about their relationship, either. Vanessa had suggested that they date casually, or just remain friends for the moment. Obviously, a lot had to be sorted through. Joe could see the pain in her eyes when she had said that, and he felt it, too. He knew she was being kind, cutting him a break and letting him off easy. She would pre-empt a breakup to remain on good terms. He was lucky to have her. He didn't know if he would ultimately end up with Iola or with Vanessa, or if the cards would be dealt to him to make him lucky enough to end up with either one. All he knew was that as deeply as he loved Iola, he still did love Vanessa, too. She was so wonderful to him, and had remained there in Maine to offer support, as a friend. He could not have hoped, or wished, for anything better.

Frank, in the meantime, was getting ready to talk to Callie, and to take her home from the hospital. He had left Joe and Vanessa in the lobby, and he was a nervous wreck. He hadn't yet seen Callie. For all he knew, she could not even want to talk to him. She could hate him and, Frank thought, with good reason. Callie had saved Iola, and had been the catalyst for so many changes in people's lives. Yet, so many people had turned on her, and that was a wound that would take time to heal. Frank was wracked with guilt over causing Callie so much pain. He was intensely curious to see how she was physically doing, and terrified to see her reaction to him. He had so much he wanted to tell her, even if she wouldn't listen. _But_, Frank thought, _how can you get your heart to speak_? _Words can never adequately express the heart's emotions_. Just let her be okay, he thought again. That's all I can pray for.

Frank stopped outside Callie's door. He took a deep breath. He raised his hand to knock, but the door opened anyway. Frank stepped inside.

Seeing Callie, Frank was overcome with emotion. He found it harder than ever to hold back tears. That was NOT the reaction that he thought he'd have, and Frank hated the fact that he wasn't prepared for it. He swallowed hard.

Callie was dressed and ready to go. Vanessa had dropped an outfit off for her earlier in the week. She was wearing jeans and a loose white tee shirt. Always with a great figure, Callie had lost a considerable amount of weight, so that he clothes hung on her slightly. She wore only the smallest amount of make-up, and her long, golden-blonde hair was tied back. Frank had to shake his head. Even with ill -fitting clothes and light makeup, Callie somehow managed to look put together. Despite her weight loss and pale face, and the deep bruises Frank could see on her arms, Frank didn't think she had ever looked so beautiful. Holding back tears, he told himself, _"Control yourself, Hardy."_

Callie was lying down on the bed. The doctor had told Frank that it would take some time for her to get back her strength, and that she should rest as much as possible.

He had no idea what to say, for once.

"Hi," she said softly to him, smiling weakly.

"Hey," he replied.

"H… how are you?" Frank thought he sounded ridiculous. All he could do was stare at her.

"Okay."

"Callie, I..."

"Frank, I..."

They both spoke at once, and then looked at each other. Callie laughed. Frank did, too, in incredible relief.

"Come here," she said, and moved over on the bed. She patted a spot next to her.

Frank knew he didn't have to say anything. Lying down next to her, he took Callie in his arms and held her tightly. As he gently stroked her hair, Frank felt tears slip down his cheeks. And, for once, he didn't care. Callie nestled closer to him, and rested her head against his chest. She could hear Frank's heart beating. She didn't think she had ever heard a sound so wonderful in her entire life.

After a long while, lying there in silence, Frank finally whispered, "Callie, I'm so sorry. I wish none of this had ever happened..."

Callie slowly pulled away from Frank and smiled at him. "Come on. I think we have some people waiting for us downstairs." She gently touched his face. "It's not your fault."

"But..." he began.

"It's not. No 'buts,'" she answered definitvely.

Frank shook his head. He was deliriously happy. Going around to the other side of the bed, he helped Callie up. It was good to feel her lean against him.

"Cal?"

"Mmmm?" She looked up at him.

"I really love you. You'll never know how much. I wish you did."

Callie smiled. "I love you, too. You know that."

Frank began again, "Callie, I wish..."

"Frank! Quit it! Stop making wishes!" she said with a small laugh.

"Oh. Okay," he stammered in reply.

"Except," Callie grinned mischievously, "well, maybe one."

"Anything."

"I wish you'd just kiss me already! Enough with the talking!"

Frank pulled Callie close. Everything was going to be okay. Iola was safe, Joe and Vanessa were talking, the Assassins had been halted, if not stopped, and a lot of innocent people were now free to live their lives. Somehow, a lot of prayers had been answered, and a lot of wishes had come true.

Smiling down at his girlfriend, Frank whispered, right before his lips covered hers, "Anything you say. Your wish is my command!"


End file.
